The Rabbit Hole
by Cazcatharsis
Summary: Two young girls stumble into a world much different than the one their used to. An outsider's view of the BPRD world and the mysteries of both. Get's a little nasty. WIP
1. Splat

Author: Cassiopeia1979, aka, R. N. Bourassa

Began: June 30/04

Note: I sort of guessed the location of the BPRD headquarters as Fairfield, Connecticut. I've heard it's been located elsewhere, but I can't tell for sure. Just bear with me. Thanks for R&Ring! I appreciate all reviews. Sort of a mix of movie/comicverse, so please bear with me.

**Chapter One**

Lavinia:

One would think that the big "Keep Out" sign would have been enough to deter someone. The giant "Trespassers Will Be Shot On Sight" sign certainly should have. But apparently, when one is drunk, signs like that mean squat. The only thing that would possibly deter a drunk is the 8 foot high fence with the barbed wire woven through the top.

Luckily, I was only tipsy, not drunk.

See, I just moved to this city a week ago, and had another week's worth of money and time before we had to settle down and get jobs. Being a newbie I wanted to explore the place, get its details, atmosphere and all its little secrets. But before I could do that properly, I had to invade the local bars first. You can't do a proper exploration when you're sober! It's just not right and not nearly as much fun.

So I dragged my roomie along with me, kicking and screaming, to a pub I saw down the block from our tiny apartment. It looked dingy enough for me, had a jukebox full of blues and the usual burned out neon lights, and a clientele I knew I could relate to.

Rielle was being completely uncooperative, but gave up her struggle halfway to the pub when I bribed her with a bottle of Jack Daniels. The best thing about having an old friend as your roomie is you know all her weaknesses, and ol' Jack was one of hers.

The pub, hell if I can remember it's name, was comfortable once you got past the nice film of dust and grease. Even Rielle settled in and molested the jukebox, playing Koko Taylor and a little Dr. John.

A few beers and assorted cocktails later, we were pleasantly buzzing and wanting to explore the city.

Neither of us had explored an American city, only the reserves in South Dakota. That fact, and because we were both from small cities in Canada, we wanted to see if there really was a difference between American and Canadian cities. Just from an anthropological standpoint, of course.

So off we weaved down the dark streets of Fairfield, the time nearing midnight and the temperature being not nearly as bad as all those guys in the bar complained about. When you've lived in a -53 Celsius environment for 6 months of the year, this kind of weather was a breeze (no pun intended).

We strolled around the city, stopping in for food and drinks at a McDonalds (I love late night restaurants), and wandered some more, making bad observations on the graffiti like we actually knew what we were talking about.

The city streets got boring fast. We both got tired of seeing the graffiti and the hookers, and longed to get some fresh air outside the city limits. So I waved down a cab and we climbed in, teasing the driver about his huge parka and mittens when we were only in light jackets.

He took us a few miles and said that's as far as he could go without charging extra, so we got out and walked the rest of the way, only stopping to rest our feet and have a quick smoke before moving on.

Finally we saw the city limits and the world beyond. Well, as far beyond as one could possibly get with no moon, cloud cover and nearing 2 am.

Only then did it occur to us that we didn't know how the hell we were going to get home. I was still a little tipsy, but Rielle was sobering up and back to thinking straight. We didn't have any more money, Rielle was smart enough to leave most of it at home, and from the looks of it we were far away from any place with a payphone.

That's when I spotted the fence. I concluded that someone, probably a farmer or something, lived beyond that fence and would likely have a phone he'd let us use.

Rielle grunted at me and pointed out the "We Will Kill You!" signs. I ignored them. She doubted the farmer or whoever would appreciate being woken up this late at night to a couple of drunken women. I laughed hard. What man wouldn't appreciate _that? _She just shook her head and smiled.

Rielle isn't as bitchy as I make her sound. I have to point that out now. If she was a bitch I wouldn't be hanging out with her for so long. She's just a little more logical and cautious than I am. I've been working on that though. I got her smoking when we were 16, drinking tequila shots with me at 19, and just corrupting her in general since we were 4. She's done the same to me so we're on even terms. I just have to keep working on nudging her towards the dark side a little more and we'll be unstoppable. Mwahaha.

Oh god I'm drunk. No, no. _Tipsy._

We sat down on a pair of cement blocks nearby and contemplated our problem.

One, we were two young girls out alone late at night with no money and no transportation.

Two, one of us was drunk off her ass.

Three, one of us was quick tempered and impatient.

Four, one of us was drunk off her ass.

I know, the most important thing had to be said twice. Rielle pushed me off of my block with her pinkie just to prove her point.

I argued back that I may be drunk but I could still get us home. To prove _my_ point I stumbled to the fence and looked up. _Barbed wire? Humbug, I can take it. I'm a tough broad_.

Rielle just crossed her legs and waited for me to fuck up.

I'd show _her_!

Rielle:

_She's going to get herself killed one of these days_, I thought as I watched my best friend attempt to climb an eight foot fence with hiking boots on and more than a little drunk. _And guess who always has to watch out for her? Me. Yah, great. Wonderful. _

_Shit._

Not that Lavinia is a complete drunken moron, I would never think that. Well, yah I would. Nights like this, I say it like a mantra. But she's always been a blast to hang around with. No night is boring with her nearby, jumping around, hitting on very inappropriate guys I have to save her from, forcing me to watch movies that I would never think to watch, saying outright things I would never say, and then teaching me to say them and not be nervous about it.

If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have become a DJ or gotten a Degree. Or summoned the nerve to get us both out of some pretty strange situations.

She's also responsible for making me a smoker, but I've forgiven her that.

I watched as Vinny got one boot in the chain link fence and tested her weight on it, and, thinking she'd be fine, tried to lift herself. Not a good idea. She ended up on her ass, laughing and calling the fence a cheating bastard.

Definitely not a boring girl.

She got up, brushed herself off, and looked at me. I tried to keep my face stony and expressionless but when she started bitching about my being completely evil and uncooperative, I busted out in giggles. She looks so funny when she's mad.

She threw a piece of broken brick at me and missed by an inch.

I called her a bitch in retaliation and stood to help her out. She'd give up after two or three more falls. A test of patience, that's all.

Tonight's been fun, I can't deny it. I just sober up too quickly. Maybe because I watered down my drinks, anticipating an exciting night and not wanting it to pass in a drunken blur. And hell, someone had to watch her back.

The bar was cozy, and despite what Vinny thought, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Any place that has Jack Daniels and BB King in supply is just fine with me. She acted as though I hated it, that I thought it was too good for me. HA.

She knows me well, but not _that_ well. I've been in a few dingy places in my life and loved it. People in nice bars were snotty, presumptuous, and mostly rude. I found that people in the smaller pubs and bars were a lot nicer, sometimes more perverted, granted, but more... human.

I thought of humanity and the easily breakable bones of said humans as I boost Vinny up the fence. She got about five feet up and lost her footing, almost falling. I jumped to her rescue but she held on tight and just hung there for a minute.

"Uhhh, Help?"

_Groan. _

I slung my backpack over my shoulders and started after her. At least I had skinnier shoes than she did. And am a little more sober as well. The fence is easily scaled and I found myself next to her, feeling a little like Spiderman clinging to a brick wall.

"How about we get down now? We can walk a while, find a restaurant, EAT (I had to accentuate the food part, cause _damn_ I'm hungry. Again.), and just wait till the sun comes up and we're both sober enough to hike it home."

She appeared to consider that for a whole two seconds, before I got a quite blatant _NO_.

I still don't know if the _No_ was a denial of my request for a nice comfy bed or a _NO_ because she slipped off the fence onto her ass again.

I winced in sympathy when she landed.

Lavinia:

_Home? HOME? Forgetaboutit! _

_Ahhh shit I'm drunk. Tipsy. Whatever._

_Forget home, this fence has defied me! I will beat it into submission!_

I've been watching way too many mobster movies lately.

Rielle was still clinging to the fence and trying very, very hard not to laugh at me as I brushed my ass off and grumbled obscenities at the evil chain link fence. That's when I made my decision.

_I AM going to get in there, I AM going to find a Phone, and I AM going to whack Rielle on the head with it before we go home. Thinks she's 'so good because she's still on the fence, putting forth absolutely NO effort whereas I can't even stay on for more than ten seconds. _

I sat back on the ground rather ungracefully and started to work at my boots. I heard an 'Oh no," above me and threw a boot in the general direction of the voice. I must have hit my mark because I heard a yelp. Hehehe. Once I got the other one off, I resumed my climb.

"Quick question, Spidey, How are we going to get over the barbed wire?"

"What, you didn't bring your iron chastity belt?" I said in blatant mockery of her sexual deviancy (in other words, complete lack of.)

"Nah, I left it at home. Thought it'd clang too much with all this sneaking around. Plus, I don't want it scratched more than it is." She retorted.

"Ahhh."

By this time I was eye level with Rielle and we giggled at each other.

I climbed up another couple of inches, ignoring the pain as a link dug into the soft part of my foot. Looking up at the curls of wire, I suddenly wished that we did have iron chastity belts, those thorns wouldn't be so nice digging up _there_. Eep.

"Chickening out are you? Well, we can go home if you like." Rielle said smugly, testing me with a wicked grin. I accepted the challenge and manoeuvred my way up another foot or so. She came after me, and we ended up racing to the top. It was only another two feet to the wire and I was determined to beat her there.

Once we reached it, we stop, hanging on for dear life because an 8 foot drop would hurt a lot more than a mere five feet.

"So, what now?" Rielle asks, taking a poke at the wire.

I thought for a minute, my mind clearing with all the sweaty effort. "Take off your jacket"

Her eyes widen. "NO! Its leather and I'm not ruining it on this shit."

"Not the outside, moron, the inside, that's replaceable."

"No. Why not your jacket?"

"Because it's too thin. Gimme your jacket."

"No."

"YES!"

"Fine! If it'll shut you up! Christ!"

We're close friends. Honestly!

Rielle stripped out of her jacket and is left wearing just a spaghetti strap top. I felt a little guilty because the wind was a bit chilly and she was noticeably shivering, but I got over it fast when she threw her jacket in my face and I almost dropped it. _Bitch._

I swung it with one arm and hook it over the loops of wire, leaving a nice safe place to climb over. Leather up, of course. Rielle started her big lip pout and as I worked my way up and over the soft leather, narrowly escaping another bad fall when the leather slips a little. Her jacket got slightly ripped and Rielle started bitching again.

"Oh come on," I say, "Get up here. If you're careful it won't rip."

"Better not."

She caught up to me and slipped over the wire, barely touching her jacket. Once on the other side and securely attached to the fence, she reached up and tries to retrieve her jacket. I heard another tearing noise and she whined, but her jacket finally jerked loose and fell to the ground below.

It took less than a minute for us both to get down off the accursed fence and realize I had forgotten my boots on the other side.

_Fuck_.

Rielle:

_I can't believe the silly bint forgot her boots._

Lavinia hoped around cradling her injured foot (she should have watched for pointy rocks) and cursed like mad while I took a quick look around. It was almost impossible to see, the streetlights were behind us and only illuminated this side of the fence for about six feet, and then it was completely black. _This will be fun to run around in_, I think to myself.

Once Vinny got the pain out of her system she looked around herself. "Fuck, Ellie, we're not going to find anything out here."

I hate it when she calls me 'Ellie'.

"Well, whose bright idea was it to climb over here? Lemme guess, uhhh, YOURS! Find a way because I sure as hell am not tearing up my favourite, not to mention ONLY jacket to get back over that fucking fence." I immediately regretted my harsh words when she looked down at her feet, ashamed.

"Sorry girl, I'm just hungry and bitchy and more than a little chilled. Where the fuck is my jacket?"

We searched around and Vinny found it when she got her feet tangled in it and stumbled face first into the dirt.

I peered into the dark, hoping to find a streetlight, a porch light, ANY light, something to give us a sense of direction. It's been an hour of _hopefully_ walking straight ahead. I was ravenous and Vinny's bitchiness was getting on my nerves now that she's sobering up. And we were both thirsty. To make matters even more fun, the ground was grassy and rocky and full of holes.

"Hold up, you hear that?" she whispered from above as she helped me off the ground for the umpteenth time that hour. I quieted myself and focused everything on my ears, hoping to pick up what Lavinia, with her instincts taking over, could hear.

The situation got even more interesting when I hear something howl. Not sure if it was wolves or coyotes or just someone's big ass guard dog, but the decision NOT to stick around was easy to make after that. Despite Vinny's bitching protestations I grabbed her arm and turned around.

"Let's try to find the way back to the fence. There's light from the lamps so we _should_ be able to see it from here."

"Well, I sure as hell don't see it."

"We'll go back up there," I said, pointing at the hill behind us. "We can get our bearings."

We climbed back up the hill (if you could call it that) and turned around in circles trying to locate the light.

"I still don't see it!" Vinny said, frustrated.

"Yah, but can't you see the light from the city?"

"Uh huh, all over the place."

"Well, let's go that way," I said, pulling her towards the brightest light.

"My feet hurt," she complained.

"Well, shouldn't have taken off your boots."

"I wouldn't gotten up the fence if I didn't..."

_Drunken logic, gotta love it._

We kept going rather silently, running out of breath because of a slight uphill and me having to pull Lavinia the entire time.

10 minutes later she just stopped moving and sat down. 'I think my feet are bleeding."

_Fuck. _I sat down next to her, pulled my lighter out of my backpack and lit it, while she pulled off her socks and tried to see her injuries in the dark. I put my lighter closer and indeed saw blood mingling with the grass and dirt.

"What the hell did you step on?" I asked, shutting the lighter and digging through my bag for some Kleenex or something I could wipe the blood off with.

"Obviously something pointy."

I wanted to slap her. Instead I wrapped her feet in an extra T-shirt I had stored, ripping it to shreds and tying it tightly around her dripping feet. "We should get you to a hospital, you might need stitches."

I helped her to her feet, put one of her arms around my shoulder and helped her limp along with me.

We'd only gone 20 paces or so when I felt the ground move beneath my feet. I stopped in my tracks, but almost fell over when Vinny suddenly leaned all her weight on me.

"Sorry, dizzy."

"Loss of blood, gotta get you out of here."

"Sorry, Rielle" she mumbled, her tone full of regret.

"S'okay, just start listening to me once in a while, Okay?"

"Definitely." We giggled at that because we both knew she'd never live up to it. 

The ground suddenly sunk in a bit as a loud crack sounded out. "Shit." We mumbled simultaneously an instant before there was an even louder _craaaack_, and down we went. The air rushed past us as we fell what felt like 50 feet before we smacked into a wooden floor. I heard something snap underneath me and realized it was Lavinia I mostly landed on. She didn't even cry out on impact, and that worried me.

"Vinny?" I called out, lifting myself very carefully off of the unmoving form beneath me. I got no reply.

"Vinny!" I reached out and found something that felt like a shoulder and gave it a quick shake. I heard a pained groan in response and think, _oh thank god, she isn't dead_.

I tried to stand up but a sharp pain ripped its way up my leg, crippling me and I had to cover my mouth to stop a scream from escaping. I made myself recover quickly, knowing the urgency of the situation wouldn't allow me to just lay there and cry. I felt around and found dirt walls on all sides. The 'room' was maybe six by six feet, bottle-necked from what I could tell, the space wider the further down you were. Not that I could say for sure, really, with all the crud in my eyes.

I reached out in the dark once again, feeling for something to grab a hold of. The dirt was really loose and rained down around my fingers and onto my injured friend. I finally grasped something cold and solid, possibly a root, and tried once again to rise to my feet. I leaned mostly on my right foot and pulled myself up, grunting a little at the pain.

_Not broken, just cracked. Maybe sprained. _I thought, wiggling the toes on my left foot.

Closing my eyes I tried to think straight. The top of the hole was 10 feet or more and with a buggered ankle and an injured woman there was no way in hell I could climb out.

_We're so fucked._

"Ellie?"

I kneeled carefully next to my friend and felt for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"What happened?"

I put it bluntly. "We're in a hole in the ground."

"And this is different from our apartment because?"

"It's cleaner."

After a minute of banter we decided that risking our lives and a lot of pain to get out of the hole wasn't worth it right now. Too dark, too tired, and there was no way in hell anyone would hear us yelling until daylight. Instead we tried to make ourselves moderately comfortable, covered ourselves as well as we could with our jackets and extra clothes I had in my bag, and waited till morning.

Lavinia:

Six hours later with a blue sky above, we were both wide awake and yelling. Both of us were stiff as hell and grouchy to boot, so our yelling was accentuated with our pissy mood and peppered with curses.

Eventually, Rielle's throat gave out, but mine went on for another ten minutes before it got too sore.

I was beginning to think we wee going to starve to death, and remembered the movie 'Alive' all too well, when our hopes were confirmed. We heard a voice! Maybe they were a search party, someone found my boots and came looking for the owners. _HA._

I immediately started yelling again, and although I was lying down my voice carried quite well. Rielle started in too, "Hey, we're down here!"

The footsteps the voice got louder as our potential rescuer got closer. "It's coming from over here, sir."

"Sir?" I say to Rielle, and she shrugs. Either it's a very formal farmer or we stumbled onto something sort of scary.

Someone kicks dirt into the hole and it lands in clumps on and around us, resulting in more than a few curses. "Found em!" A man says from above, and then looks down into the hole at us.

What a sight we must have been. Hung-over, stiff, dirty and bleeding, we would have scared anyone.

"Jeeezus! Sir, you gotta see this." The man said into the radio he held in his right hand.

Another voice replied from the radio and more dirt was kicked into the hole. In an uncharacteristic moment of pure evil, Rielle yelled up, "DO YOU MIND?"

I almost congratulated her but was too busy digging dirt out of my eyeball to care. I mumbled "Shit," as a particularly annoying bit stung my eye, and Rielle got to her foot (her other one was broken or at least cracked from the looks of it) and said calmly to the man above,

"My friend here is injured, I think her arm's broken, and her feet are still bleeding. She needs to get to a hospital."

"May I ask why you're down there?" The man said, completely ignoring Rielle's request.

"We're mole people." I snapped, and Rielle glared at me. 'What?"

"Don't be cheeky to a guy with a gun."

'Huh?"

"Soldier."

Rielle:

Once again I looked up at the uniformed man above me and tried again. "She's pretty hurt, and I'm not exactly in ecstasy either, I think I cracked something in my left foot. Could you get us out of here?"

"Not until my superior gets here and probably not until you answer my question."

"We fell, alright! We got lost and fell and now we're here... and we've been here for over 7 hours now."

"And how'd you get in here?"

"Ummmm" I delayed, not exactly wanting to tell him our embarrassing escapades, "We, sort of, umm, stumbled onto the place?"

"Try again..." he said in a smart ass tone.

If there was a rock nearby I would have smacked him with it, rescue be damned. "JUST GET US THE FUCK OUT!" I yelled, fed up.

He sighed impatiently and fondled the gun I knew he had holstered underneath his jacket. "You know, technically you two are trespassing, and by law I am allowed to shoot you. So I'd be a little nicer if I were you."

I thought for a fraction of a second. "Well, _technically_," I accentuated the word, "If you shoot us, you'd be shooting Canadian citizens and that would count as an international incident you don't want to deal with. So if _I were_ _you, _I'd get my lily white arse moving and find that supervisor you've been yabbering on about."

I hate power mongers.

"Whoa, Ellie, you bitch." Lavinia said appreciatively from her dirt pillow.

"He pissed me off!" I said, as if that would excuse my words. Well, he did! My patience only goes so far, and as I've been told before, that's not very far at all.

Whatever I said, the soldier shut up and left, hopefully for his supervisory officer instead of what he was probably doing, leaving us to rot.

I leaned against the wall behind me and ran my fingers through my hair, resulting in more dirt landing in my eyes.

It took another ten minutes for someone else to come. This time it was a bunch of someone else's, all soldiers from the looks of them, five heads peeking over the edge, looking amused, and one little old guy that seemed very out of place in the surroundings. He had a fuzzy grey Einstein-like hairdo and glasses. In a way, he reminded me of an old English professor from University.

"Hello down there!" He said with a pleasant smile but curiosity in his eyes.

I immediately liked him, though there was something strange about him I could not put my finger on, and it wasn't the soldiers around him either.

"Hi!" I returned, "Ummm, could you help us out? I asked one of these soldier guys earlier and he, well, denied my request."

"Yes, so I heard." he said, glancing at someone I couldn't see. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed about the entire situation. "If we help you out, are you going to tell us what happened, how you ended up down there?"

"It was _her_ fault!" Lavinia pointed at me. I kicked her for that one.

The older guy looked even more amused but hid it quickly and barked out orders to the soldiers around him.

In minutes I was hauled out of the hole by a guy in green. I watched Lavinia stare up at me and I waved. She grinned back and then yowled when the guy taking care of her arm poked something he shouldn't have.

Once I was in the sunlight and seated as comfortably as one could get on a patch of rock, I felt instantly better. I still swear Indians are solar powered, and being stuck in that hole really made me sick. Vinny always contests that theory although I've proven it over and over to her.

The older man introduced himself as the head of the base (_base?_), Professor Bruttenholm. He told me to call him Broom because it was easier. I shook his outstretched hand lightly after half-heartedly wiping it on my dirty jeans, which brought out a pearly white smile from him, which disappeared as soon as Lavinia and her escort popped out of the hole and was replaced with concern.

She did look like shit now that I could see her properly, dirt caked all over her, blood everywhere, and looking mighty pissed at the soldier who treated her quite roughly.

"Ummm, could you get this gorilla to let me go, please?" she said once she was on solid ground she could stand on her own but it noticeably hurt. She wobbled a little but stayed standing. Professor Broom told the soldier to let her go and she immediately hit the ground. I hopped over and landed next to her, checking her arm out.

"You okay?" I asked.

'Yah, Wonderful. You?"

"Utterly blissful."

We laughed at ourselves, we knew we looked and felt like shit and hell, the situation itself was hilarious.

The professor looked down at us two giggling girls and smiled again. "Let's get these two inside, get their wounds checked."

"But sir, what about..." argued the soldier next to him.

"Later. First, their wounds, and then some questions." Broom interrupted.

Even the way he said _questions _didn't seem intimidating. I was sure we'd be interrogated, as we were intruders on an army base, but from the kind look on Broom kind face, I knew it wouldn't include torture devices.

We were helped up and into an army truck the size of a small house. Vinny knew enough to keep her smart mouth shut for the time being, but I knew inside she was itching to say something weird.

The truck drove for about twenty minutes before I heard the sound of cement under the tires. It was a bumpy ride, but the professor stuck in the back with us and the soldiers, enduring the occasional near bruising. I liked him a lot.

Eventually we made a couple of tight turns (you could tell by the way we almost fell off our respective benches) and stopped with a creak and a bang. _The breaks and engine need work_, I thought, before the back doors were opened and we were herded out. Surprisingly they didn't even cuff us as we were lead towards a door in the side of a small cement building. I silently wondered where the rest of this supposed army base was.

Lavinia groaned when a soldier accidentally bumped into her arm, so I moved to her and kept close, just in case. The professor took his time and caught up to us when we reached the door.

"Step inside my parlour' he said with a grin.

I finished 'Said the spider to the fly'.

He chortled appreciatively and held the door open for us. Two soldiers accompanied us, while thankfully the rest remained outdoors.

We were lead through a large blue-lit room, with a strange symbol of a fist holding a sword on pretty much every wall. There was a single desk on the opposite side of the room and our little group went to it, taking our time because Lavinia and I both had buggered feet. The soldiers had a light grip on our forearms (uninjured in Vinny's case) but they weren't rough at all, just sort of guiding us gently behind the professor.

The man at the desk took one look at us and gave an inquiring look to the professor.

"You know the drill." is all he said in reply. The deskman picked up the phone, spoke quietly into the receiver and hung up. Satisfied, Broom walked off and we went with him, to an area just off to the right, where there was a small elevator.

We went in and with a ding the doors closed and we were going down.

"Interesting." I said aloud.

"What?"

"An underground base? Makes for a good cover I guess, I just hadn't been in one before." I said, my curiosity piqued.

The two soldiers holding us tightened their grips a little, probably unconsciously. I decided to shut up before I got us into worse trouble.

Professor Broom noticed how uncomfortable I was and asked the soldiers to unhand us. Unfortunately Vinny still needed the help so I grabbed her before she hit the elevator floor and stood her up straight. She gave me a thankful yet nervous look and held on. Once comfortable, and wondering why the ride was taking so long, I decided I had a few more questions of my own.

I caught Broom's eye before speaking,

"May I ask what's going to be done to or with us?" I said it with a little smile to show that I knew he wouldn't hurt us but with enough caution to know that someone else could.

"I'm hoping whatever it is will be quick so we can get you girls on your way."

_Hmm, evasion. Not good. _"Well, I'm grateful that you're helping us at all instead of throwing us in the nearest prison." I just had to throw the little hint in there.

"Obviously you didn't know it was an army base you, errr, stumbled upon. I don't think you girls are an immediate threat to base security." he said with a laugh. What he doesn't know won't kill him, I guess, so I keep my mouth shut. He continued "I want to get your foot looked at. I don't think it's broken but it's possibly cracked. If that's the case we can wrap it and put some ice on it, and the swelling will go down in time." Then he turned to Lavinia, "You, on the other hand, need stitches and a cast for your arm... and possibly a painkiller for your head." This he said in almost a paternal way, like Vinny was his own often injured daughter and he an inch away from giving her hell.

"Yah, she landed on it pretty hard." I interrupted. "She was unconscious for a few minutes after we fell."

The door finally dinged again and the doors opened, revealing what looked like a first class medical facility. In other words, sterile, white and cold. As we were escorted down the hallway I recalled how much I hated hospitals.


	2. Intro's and Freakouts

The Rabbit Hole Ch2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Hellboy Universe, but I own Rielle and Lavinia. So there. :P

**Chapter Two**

Bruttenholm:

Once the girls were settled into a room with an army of experienced medical technicians, I quietly excused myself and made my exit. Once in the hallway I sighed and shut my eyes for a moment. _What a mess this is._ With no idea how to fix this, I went into the adjoining room, where the opposite side of the one-way mirror was located. This way I could hear and see everything the two girls did, but they couldn't see me.

The raven-haired woman knew, I suspected, but I tried to pass it off as paranoia. She kept looking directly into the mirror and smiling mysteriously, as though she'd been on that side of the mirror before and knew damn well she was being watched. It made me nervous, and curious as to her origins. Her behaviour made her out to be a normal, energetic young woman but there was preciseness in her movements that reminded me of military personnel.

The redhead, on the other hand, was very obviously a civilian under no cover. She just sat there and complained about the doctor's 'rough' stitching technique.

_Ellie is cleverer than she looks._ And the other? Vinny, was it? She was just a loudmouth, and proud of it. I was reminded of another loudmouth in this facility when I heard the woman bellow "Crap!" and watched her overzealous attempts to escape the needle.

My thoughts were interrupted as a high pitched scream pierced through the glass. I stared in shock as the redhead fell off her bed and practically knocked over a doctor trying to crawl away. Ellie's eyes widened as she witnessed her friend's fear and went after her.

I didn't even have to guess at what caused such a reaction; I just shook my head and cursed my own forgetfulness.

Today was Hellboy's monthly physical.

Hellboy:

_I didn't ask for this shit._ I groaned and shut the door behind me. _First, my breakfast's congealed and tastes like week-old monkey crap, then one of the cat's peed on my favourite comic, and now this._

I cringed when the little redhead screamed again. The darker one kneeled next to her and gave her a little shake, obviously confused. When that didn't work she up and smacked her across the face, making me want to cringe again. Ouch.

"Good morning Red," said Dr. Addams, holding a wad of gauze and keeping his mirth in check.

"Yah, Yah, what the hell's going on?" I waved at the two hysterical girls on the floor.

Before the doctor could give me an answer, the door behind me opened up again and the darker girl on the floor finally saw me, yelling "Holy Fucking Christ!"

"Good Morning, my son." Said my father's indifferent voice beside me. I looked down at him and returned the greeting. _He looks worse today._

By then the dark one was on her feet and hovering protectively over her friend. You'd think I would have been used to this sort of reaction to my appearance but it was too goddamned early for me to have any semblance of patience.

"Oh good, you brought me breakfast." I licked my chops for effect and the girls eyes darkened.

"Hellboy!" Father chastised me with a look of pure paternal anger.

"I know, I know. 'Go to your room.'"

"Precisely. We'll do your physical later."

I strode out of the room without another word and slammed the door behind me, making the glass rattle in the frame.

I considered actually obeying my father's orders but the curiosity was a little too much so I went into the other room to watch the fun through the mirror.

I didn't realize the dark woman had a knife while I was still in the room, but I sure as hell did know. She had it gripped tightly in her left hand wile gesturing wildly with her right. "What the fu... who...shit."

I almost laughed, she was so agitated. My father had both his hands in the air, walking slowly over the broken medical stuff on the floor towards the knife-wielding girl.

"Calm down please Miss, Ellie is it?"

The girl shook herself and focussed all her attention of my father, who was now less than four feet away from her.

"Rielle." She said shakily.

"Rielle."

"I hate being called Ellie."

"I apologize." Another foot closer. My instinct told me to bust in there and get my dad away from her but I kept still. He knew what he was doing. Instead I lit a cigar and tried to calm my nerves. "Rielle, can you give me the knife please?"

Rielle looked at the knife still clutched in her hand. "If you'll answer one question for me first." She said dispassionately. I frowned. She was instantly composed and almost icy in her calmness. Still dangerous even with the seven inch blade pointed at the floor, but not an immediate threat. "I'm asking for direct honesty only."

"Agreed. Ask your question."

"Does he mean any harm to me and mine?"

I saw my father shake his head in the negative and replied aloud, "No, he won't hurt you or your friend."

"Alright then." Immediately the iciness was dropped and the knife was given up handle first to my father. The trust implied was mind-blowing. I let out a breath I never realized I had held and choked on the over-stewed cigar smoke.

They both heard my coughing and turned to the mirror. I covered my mouth with my right hand and continued expelling smoke from my lungs. The way their faces looked I wasn't sure who to be more afraid of, my father or the girl.

I left the room before they could physically catch me. At least my curiousity was temporarily sated. Father was in no danger and the girls were alright, and I could hopefully avoid the Physical for the rest of the day if I kept myself scarce.

Besides, I was hungry again.

Rielle:

An hour later, after convincing Lavinia that the 'big red monster' was indeed gone, we were seated in Broom's office sipping tea like nothing happened. The situation was almost laughable, but I kept silent for Lavinia's sake. The poor girl wasn't taking all this very well, and who could blame her? I saw the giant red guy myself and I was still shaking inside, despite the promise that he was harmless. Now I sort of felt bad for whacking her. The angry red mark on her cheek made me feel like shit. I hit my best friend.

"Vinny?" I said to break the silence, and to pop Lavinia out of that twitchy bubble she was stuck in. She jumped a little at my voice.

"What?"

"How are you doing?" I asked carefully.

She grinned weakly from her perch nearest the giant aquarium. "Superb. You?"

"Spectacular."

"Glad to hear it."

We both nodded and sipped our tea, smirking at ourselves.

Broom was off somewhere supposedly hunting down some cream for Lavinia's tea, so I took the opportunity to think about this morning's events.

The poor girl. Her face when she saw him! I had no clue what had scared her so horribly, I assumed it was something the doctor was going to do to her or something, or maybe she was just kidding around. She's done it to that extreme before, so how could I not think that, even for a moment? Then, when she didn't come out of it, and smacking her didn't work, I thought it could have been some psychotic episode. _That_ she isn't known for.

It wasn't until I turned around that I knew what scared her... and WHAM, reflex kicked in. _Protect what's yours_. All I saw was someone who was double my size and had a tail, and I went into the defensive, getting in front of Lavinia and pulling my boot-knife.

Frankly, I don't know what scared me more, the Big Red Guy, or Vinny's hysterical reaction to him.

Then Broom came in and talked to him like he was just some other guy, and He made that smart ass comment about breakfast. That didn't exactly endear me to him, but it did show he had a sense of humour.

After he got kicked out and I was promised that the big guy wasn't going to hurt Lavinia, no problem. For some, probably dumb reason, I trusted the little old bugger and gave him my knife.

Broom seemed surprised at my gesture but took my knife carefully, studying it a little before placing it on the one table that was still standing. Then I heard someone coughing from the room beyond the mirror (do these guys really think they're being sneaky?) and got a little pissed again. I hate being watched. Broom excused himself again and took off out the door, leaving me and Lavinia feeling sort of dumb and alone with a trashed room and more than slightly ticked off doctors.

After they sewed and casted us and then drafted us to help clean the place up, we were brought here, where Broom waited for us with a pot of hot tea and the promise of an explanation. Poor Lavinia, the girl was still shaky and hugging her self, until I put a cup of Red Rose under her nose. She perked right back up and drank the first cup down irregardless of the steamy hot consequences. I think Broom was perturbed by her display of running around squealing with her tongue sticking out. I know I was. I don't know if that's the reason he took off so quickly to find Lavinia's cream, but the coincidence was hilarious.

I got off my chair, deciding that whatever was going to happen to us today, I wouldn't take it sitting down, but would also try to keep an open mind. There was more to this place than a simple army base, that much was obvious. The purpose, however, was unknown. The office alone could have told me that, never mind the Red Giant and the weird insignia posted all over the place.

Not in one military installation had I seen such a lavishly decorated room, and what a collection of books! I felt like a kid in a candy store as I ran my fingers lightly over some of the older texts, skimming the titles, Dante's Divine Comedy, varied works by Emerson, Scott and Eliot. Then onto some non-fiction textbooks, ranging from Chemistry and Biology to the supernatural and mythology.

_Then,_ my mind pointed out, _there's that big ass fish tank._

I passed Lavinia on my way to check out the tank, patting her on the head like she was my good little puppy, and in return she gave me a boot (Wow, they found em!) to the ass and scowled, before joining me in front of the tank.

"Where are the fish?" she asked.

"No clue. Must be a big fuckin' fish though."

Staring in awe at the enormous tank and the blue water within, something began niggling at my brain, something I couldn't put my finger on.

Abe:

Beyond the water there stood another glass wall with a view into my personal quarters. The room was rarely used, sanitary and dreadfully boring, and for that reason I preferred the side of the tank with the view of the Professor's office. It was homey and had plenty of books to occupy me in times of monotony.

Unfortunately the current events had prevented me from finishing my latest narrative, Moby Dick. I found the plot intriguing but some references rather offensive. Instead of giving it up I chose to ignore it, because that's the risk you take when endeavouring to expand your mind and broaden your horizons.

And I couldn't help but cheer for the whale.

Professor Broom stood behind me, waiting patiently for me to clear my mind enough to read the women properly. With random thoughts of Ahab running through, the reading may have gotten contaminated, and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

Earlier I had asked Broom why he needed me to this at all, he could have just as easily asked the women his questions directly, but he neglected to give me a straight answer. I declined to press the issue.

I pressed my hand against the glass and received immediate information from Lavinia the redhead. She was an open book, projecting her fearful thoughts and images of home easily through the thick barriers. Flashes of the prairies and family mingled with darkness and pain.

It was difficult to interpret but simple to establish she didn't have an agenda when they trespassed onto the base. She was just here, and dealing with it as well as she could, considering all she's been through in the past 12 hours.

Rielle, in contrast, was a whole different story. I had to concentrate exceptionally hard just to get her physical image, let alone her mental form. Once past that I quite literally ran into a brick wall. She resisted my probing unlike anyone I've encountered, and the strength behind this barrier surrounding her virtually indomitable.

I ceased my probing for a moment to inform the professor of my findings. He didn't' seem surprised at all about Miss Lavinia, previously assuming the same thing. He _did _seem intrigued by this new development with the other woman.

He said to leave it for now, at least until he could get me closer. Maybe the water barrier had something to do with my inability to penetrate Miss Rielle's mind. I'd try again later.


	3. Aww crap

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Hellboy Universe, but I own Rielle and Lavinia. So there. :P_

_Note: I'd love some feedback, I don't know whether I should keep posting chapters or not. If I'm doing something wrong, please let me know, just be nice about it. LOL._

Chapter Three

Rielle:

That creepy niggling feeling in the back of my head eventually subsided, but it left me feeling tense. Something about the water maybe. I left Lavinia to fondle the fish tank and wandered the office again, shaking the feeling off as well as I could. Again I found myself by the bookshelf resisting the urge to grab up a think volume and read, instead of thinking about reality.

"Ellie?"

I sighed glancing at the books in envy. "Yah Vinny?" I replied, turning away and seating myself back in my chair.

"I'm starting to think I'm stoned, or... or delusional."

I _had_ to interrupt. "You _think_?"

"Shut up."

I giggled into my lukewarm tea.

"C'mon, There's something so.... Unreal about this whole thing

"What clued you in, falling down a hole that just happened to be on a secret military base, or the giant red guy with a tail?"

"You're such a bitch."

We're friends, really.

I conceded. "Just fuckin' with you. Ever read Alice in Wonderland?"

"No, but I saw the movie. Oooohh! The 'hole thing'. Scary coincidence. Oh god."

"What?"

Lavinia turned even redder. "Cant' you just see Broom as the Mad Hatter?"

I choked. The image of the professor singing the Unbirthday Song popped into my head. Lavinia started laughing hysterically, leaning against the tank for balance.

"Oh shit, I think he stuck something in the tea." She gasped.

"I assure you I did no such thing."

Vinny screamed and I must have jumped a foot off my chair when Broom spoke. He shook his head at us.

"Though I'm rather doubtful now of the caffeine content."

We both studied the hardwood with great interest, unsuccessfully covering our embarrassment. Broom handed Lavinia a little ceramic creamer and refilled all three of our cups before seating himself behind his enormous desk. We followed suit, Lavinia in her previous chair near the tank and me on the arm of mine.

Broom kept silent for a moment, hands crisscrossed on his desk, deep in thought. I suddenly had the feeling he was about to order our execution.

"What a mess." He began mildly, sounding a little regretful, which sort of confirmed my thoughts. _We're dead._ "Things should have been handled differently. I never should have brought you two inside the facility. That was a mistake on my part."

"Shit happens, I guess." Lavinia blurted.

"Vinny!" I admonished. I still felt uncomfortable cursing in front of my elders. Just the way I was raised!

"Sorry." She said meekly.

Broom sipped his tea, eyes dancing at our exchange. He continued, "Unfortunately, I cannot turn back tome or erase memories, despite all the military technology at my disposal. What I _can_ do is offer you two a choice."

I glanced over at Lavinia, who was now curled up into a little ball on her chair, clutching her teacup to her chest. She looked back and gave me a weak smile.

_Whatever happens, I'll be fine as long as Vinny's safe._

"Alright." I said quietly.

The professor laughed suddenly. "We're not going to kill you if that's what you're thinking. If we were going to just shoot you for trespassing and seeing what you've seen, I wouldn't have bothered with bandages and tea."

Lavinia visibly relaxed, and yes, it was good to hear, but in my mind there were punishments worse than dead. I'm not a pessimist, but I like to think of all possibilities. And hell, this WAS an American military facility.

"What exactly did we see if I may ask?" What I saw was a huge red man with disproportionate hands and yellow eyes, not to mention the tail. I impulsively went into Kill-mode after that, but honestly, I couldn't remember details. Lavinia had likely seen more as she spent a good 30-40 seconds looking at him. I don't think asking about it was a great idea, but I had to know what we saw.

Broom frowned and muttered, "Someone who should have listened to the alert this morning." He looked me directly in the eye. "That was... an issue to be addressed later. Now, back to our predicament, I had a few ideas I'd like to discuss."

"I'm sure you do, professor and I apologize if I'm pushing my luck or anything, but before any plans are made there are a few things _I'd_ like to discuss." I paused, trying to calm myself before I dug both our graves. I took a deep breath and glanced again at Lavinia for assurance. I got the 'Shut Up!' look but spotted the curious gleam in her eyes as well. She's seen that look in my eyes more than once and gone on to do something either monumentally stupid or introduced me to something fabulous. I decided that getting her out of here to go on doing both was my first priority.

"It's just that all this, the base, this office, other shit, has sort of made this entire thing seem unreal. Before we make any decisions I think it would be wise to have as much information as is needed."

The Professor nodded, taking in my outburst. He appeared to come to a decision himself. "What you have asked is fair, and honest, and it's only equitable if I do the same. My predicament is whether to let you two obviously innocent young ladies free with the information, however small, you have and risk the security of this place and its employees. Or explain this place and what you've seen, and offer you two jobs."

I was pretty much broad-sided with that. _Jobs? HA!_

"I've skimmed through some files, and it appears you both just moved to Connecticut from Western Canada and are in need of employment."

"Files? You already have files?" Vinny got off her chair and started pacing. _Like she has reason!_ All she had was a criminal record for indecent exposure and disturbing the peace when we were 22 and piss-drunk. I had... other things.

"Only surface information, I assure you."

_Phew!_

"Now, the question here is, do you girls think you can keep quiet about what you've seen here today? And I don't mean for a few weeks, I mean the rest of your lives? Because if we let you go to live on as normal we must have assurances that nothing will leak out to the general populace."

"No worries, I won't say shit. You?" Vinny promised and looked at me to do the same.

My curiosity got the better of me. "What kind of jobs were you offering?"

Lavinia:

I pulled Rielle to the side away from Broom. _What the fuck is she trying to pull?_

"Are you fucking crazy?" I whispered harshly. "What are you trying to do, get us stuck here?"

Rielle shook her head emphatically NO. "Just info gathering. If it's a choice between one, working here, two, being followed, tapped and watched for the rest of our lives, or three, getting shot in the head and left in a field, I'd like to know my options!"

"A little extreme don't you think?" I doubted they'd go so far as to blow us away to keep us silent, and anyway, Broom said they wouldn't. May be dumb, but I believed him.

"That shit happens all the time here. Look, I want to get out of here just as much as you do but making rash, uninformed decisions could either get us jail time or get us dead. I'm just watching both our asses"

My shoulders slumped, defeated. _Damned bitch is right. _

She continued, "Anyways, what would be so bad about working here? He practically offered us jobs so that'll save a hell of a lot of time, and the military pays civvies pretty good for certain jobs."

"What about our apartment? We just spent a crapload cleaning and repainting. What if they make us live on-base?"

Rielle shrugged, "I don't know, we'd have to ask. But you see where I'm comin' from?"

"Yah."

"So come on, let's get this shit done."

"Alright, as long as we ain't scrubbin' toilets with our toothbrushes. I _hate_ that shit."

We pinkie swore on it and sat back down with the professor. I made the decision here to trust Rielle's instinct; she knew what she was doing. Probably from all those damned military movies she forced me to watch all the time.

Broom smiled at us again, radiating trust and comfort. He reminded my of my moshum, except Broom was smaller... and didn't make dirty jokes at the expense of my kokum.

Rielle spoke first, leaning forward in her chair and looking Broom in the eye. "Sorry about that, we just need a moment to consult. Now, we were curious about our options."

"It's really quite simple. You're free to go, no matter your decision. I'm not a man that willingly destroys freedom, given the choice." He said the last bitterly. _This guy has stories to tell. _"Unfortunately, working with the government limits my choices. I would like to let you go and leave you alone, but with the trespassing and security breaches, I must restrict your freedom, if it's just for a little while. Just to be sure you're not secret agents." He finished with a laugh.

Rielle and the professor discussed the restrictions and a bunch of other technical crap that I didn't have the energy to interpret, for a solid ten minutes. When they talked about just letting us free, I _did_ catch the phone tapping and surprise watchdog checks, and I especially heard the consequences of breaking our silence, deportation and possible jail time. Broom told us all this in distaste, obviously hating these rules as much as I did.

"What did you say earlier about jobs?" I asked, interrupting their talks. _On to a little less disturbing things, please. _Much rather work here than be followed by creepy-ass soldiers for the rest of eternity.

"Like I said earlier, from surface record scans we learned a little about you girls. Age, education, criminal records," I coughed a little and Broom's lips wriggled as if he was trying not to grin, "previous employment, things like that. From that we can narrow down talents and see if there's anything here for you to apply those talents to."

Shit. The only talent I had was dancing and _maybe_ typing. _Oooohhh. _

"Miss Asaiken, did I say that right?"

I nodded.

"I see here you won a chilli making contest in 2002 and you took some cooking courses in 2001. How would you like to try cooking?"

I forgot all about that! Hell, I was drunk during that contest, and I didn't really count the cooking class. I didn't make it all the way through, but Rielle sure as hell appreciated what I learned. My Butter Chicken was to die for.

"Miss Cyr, I see you've got your journeyman's in automotive repair, was arrested for illegal street racing in 2002 and you also have a degree in English with a minor in music."

Rielle blushed. She hated hearing about her accomplishments more than her failures. She also felt ashamed about the arrest, not guilt over the racing but dishonour for getting caught.

"I hear you mention earlier the engine in one of our trucks 'needing work'. We have four large trucks and about thirty other miscellaneous vehicles that could use regular maintenance and repair by someone who actually knows what they're doing."

"Are tools provided?"

Rielle thinks of everything.

"Most, but our mobile equipment funding has been cut so you'd be working with a lot of outdated tools."

There was a pause before the Professor continued, "So, now that you've heard both options, is there any additional questions?"

I spoke up again, "Would we have to live on-base?"

"Until our people can do some further questioning and record digging, yes. It should only be a couple of days, but until then, you'll have to stay here."

"Shit."

"If it's any comfort, the rooms you'll be occupying have all the amenities, and you'll have full access to the cafeteria and the gym."

I grinned. _Mmmm, free food._.. I looked at Rielle and wiggled my eyebrows. She snorted.

"And after the checks?" I asked, just to be thorough. The proof went on to explain procedure again. If we passed the checks and the exams, and accepted the jobs, then we could just go home and report for duties the next day. Work Visa's and temporary immigrant status would be taken care of, and we'd get paid on a weekly basis.

"What if we don't pass?" Rielle asked with a hint of worry only I could pick up.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem." Broom answered, obviously avoiding an answer that could only be bad. Rielle surprisingly enough left it alone, normally itching to push until she got answers.

"Alright then. I'll show you girls the cafeteria, east something and make whatever decisions you need to make. We'll meet back here in an hour or so. I'll have someone escort you back."

We both nodded our agreement and as if on cue, my belly made a horribly loud grumble. "Soon, precious, soon." I said to my belly and stood up.

Broom led us out of his beautiful office, checking both ways before starting off down the hallway. We zigged and zagged, getting introduced to guys in combat gear as 'the two troublemakers'. The soldiers just sniggered at us and politely shook hands.

The entire walk to the cafeteria Rielle was silent, almost brooding. I was tempted to ask her what she was thinking so hard about but I wanted to do it away from prying ears.

Once at the cafeteria, we gobbled down seconds, thirds, desserts and about a pot and a half of coffee. Considering we hadn't eaten since the pub snacks last night, I think we ate lightly. A few of the men present only gawked at us. It pissed me off a little but I understood why. How often do they get two scuffed up little Cree girls in here eating as much as them? _Try spending a night in a hole and we'll see how you look._

We didn't even make small talk for at least ten minutes; we were too busy stuffing our faces. I spent most of that time downing some nasty chicken and pea concoction that looked like vomit and thinking about the future. The decision wasn't hard to make. I needed employment, I kept secrets when asked, and I wanted my freedom. These guys would give it to me.

I felt sort of bad for Rielle though. It was my fault we were in this shit, and now she has to live with the consequences of having my back, again.

Maybe that's the reason for her silence. Maybe she's thoroughly pissed at me. Who knows?

Rielle:

_As soon as we're alone, I am going to beat her with the nearest hard object._ I stared under my eyebrows at my friend. _The chicken? Is she nuts? Who knows what weird shit they put in there? Not good hangover food. _

My thoughts as I gobbled my sixth piece of pepperoni pizza were purposefully avoiding the subject of picking my fate. My choice wasn't made yet. And I didn't have much time or nearly enough facts to make it clearly. _What if those scans pick up things that shouldn't be?_ That scared me the most. There were things in my past that even Lavinia didn't know and I didn't want her to find out about. And this being a US government facility? Oy. They wouldn't find my teeth after the military was done with me.

Maybe I'll let Vinny take care of this one; either way there's going to be consequences I can learn to live with, even if it included jail time.


	4. Mmm Food

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Hellboy Universe, but I own Rielle and Lavinia. So there. :P_

_Note: Thank you guys so much for the reviews so far, it's very encouraging to see. Also, thanks for putting up with my long-windedness, I'm known for going on and on, and it takes patience to read it all. As this is the first fic I've ever published on , I was a little nervous. _

**Chapter Four**

Rielle:

After a bolstering cup of tea, our decision was made, for better or for worse (knowing my luck, worse). Lavinia was our spokeswoman, taking care of whatever details we needed, and I only spoke up when something needed clarification.

Broom sat patiently through this, answering questions as they came and giving reassurances as needed, looking extremely pleased with himself. I didn't have negative suspicions as to why; I knew he had as much distaste for spying on people as I did. At least if we worked here they could keep an eye on us without invading our privacy completely. We'd have time to ourselves.

I couldn't help but wonder why he offered us jobs in the first place? It wasn't what the military normally did when people invade their base, especially two strange Canadian girls who were more than noticeably hung-over. It nagged at me but I was too fatigued and overstuffed with new information already I couldn't come up with the energy to ask. I settled on going with the flow for now and let Lavinia take the reins.

After we signed some release forms and chatted a little more about procedure, we were assigned our jobs. It went like Broom said earlier, Vinny would cook, but not for the grunts like we both thought. Broom said she would cook for the 'Special Team'. Frankly I thought he meant disabled military veterans, but what do I know? If they had the bowels and the nerve to eat Vinny's chili, good for them. Maybe they'd be smart and fill up on bannock first.

After giving Vinny a big satisfied grin, Broom turned to me. "You, Miss Rielle,"

"Just Rielle, please. I feel too classy when you call me 'Miss'."

"Alright. You can have the Garage. Like I said earlier, we have plenty of vehicles in disrepair and a small team of partially trained and incompetent mechanics who couldn't tell the difference between a carburetor and an alternator. I need someone who knows what their doing."

All I could do is drift to happy-land, dreaming of roaring engines and the scent of 10W30. Lavinia thought I was nuts when I did this and told me so frequently. Could I help that I found powerful vehicles an extreme turn on?

Broom had this confused expression that made Vinny giggle and I came out of my dream state in embarrassment. "Sorry, I just love cars."

"Then this is the perfect job for you."

* * *

Hellboy:

It was almost suppertime before my father came and let me out of my room. After the medical ward incident he had guards posted at my door and the med guys came to me. No way to avoid the prodding and needles without physical injury to the staff.

So I spent the rest of the day watching TV and chatting online with Liz. I loved my new keyboard, specially made so I could type with both hands and not punch multiple keys. It was great. But after Liz went offline and there was nothing but those crappy soaps on the tube, I started to get bored. Then restless. By the time Father came around I was totally pissed and itching to do something violent.

I'm a nice guy, honest.

Didn't help that lunch consisted of some nasty looking chicken/veggie concoction. _Blegh!_

Let's have some dinner," he said after seeing the platter of health food mostly untouched on a table. "It's been a long time since we've broken bread together."

That simple statement made up for an entirely horrible day. I haven't actually sat down and eaten with him in months, and it felt all the more important now that we was getting up in years and weaker than he used to be. I hated, and avoided, thinking about a future without him here for me, but I knew enough to take advantage of the time we had left.

"Where?"

"My office, so we can talk with Abraham as well."

I grabbed my cigars, just in case, but a look from my father made me put them back. I knew he didn't like the smoke in his office. _Damn._

Once we were in the hallway I remembered the girls from med lab. "Waitaminute, where are those two from this morning? What happened with that?"

"Don't worry about them right now; they're in their temporary rooms for the night." He saw my squinty I'm-on-to-you look and continued, "It's a very long strange story that can be told over tea."

"In other words, 'not right now, be patient.'"

Father appeared amused. He usually got that exact look after me and Abe had an argument, his patented '_KIDS!'_ look.

We had a full supper, me with a nice large steak _not nearly enough but it'll do_, Abe had those disgusting eggs and Father settled for a salad. _Salad, Bah! No wonder he's so little._ As usual me and Abe argued and joked around, much to the pleasure of Father, but it wasn't as heated as usual. We were all thrown off by the appearance of those two girls, and I was especially curious about the darker one, the spunky chick with the knife. I forgot her name already. I don't know if father was keeping silent on the subject just to make me wait and keep me in suspense, or because he honestly wanted to avoid the issue.

Finally our plates were cleared and some coffee was poured. The servers hated when I requested a pot, a full pot, to be filled with sugar and just given to me. They still haven't found a mug big enough for my java intake, so why fumble with the tiny cups? I longed for a sweet smoky stogie to top the evening off with all my heart and soul.

Father wandered the office, sipping his coffee with obvious disgust. I felt a little bad, he only drank it around me and he hated the stuff. Abe noticed his aimless wandering and pointed at him. I just shrugged, I didn't know what was wrong, and I wasn't the psychic. And since Abe refused to read father without permission out of respect for his privacy, he just gave up and asked outright.

"What's wrong?" Abe put a hand on his shoulder, just for comfort not a contact reading.

Father took a deep breathe, shoulders sagged. "Just a long tiring day, I'm alright."

_Bullshit. _"Bullshit."

Both of them burst out with an exasperated, "Hellboy!"

"What?"

Father sighed in resignation, _does that a lot lately, _and gave Abe a pat on the hand that touched his shoulder. "I've never been able to lie to you two. Today's been difficult. I've had two girls stumble onto something I can't explain without a court martial, then when I try to find a solution that doesn't involve murder, again the damned government steps in and makes it worse."

_Wow, he swore. He never swears!_

"And in the end," he continued, "because of one foolish mistake, neither of them will ever get complete freedom and privacy again. There's nothing I can do."

"I saw them earlier; they seemed relieved, even happy with what you came up with." Abe said.

"You saw them too?" I was surprised, after I ran into them this morning I assumed father would avoid any further risk.

"I tried to read them through the tank from my room. I got barely anything from one of them, and just gave up."

"Interference?"

"No, I read the Redhead just fine."

"The other is a strong woman, that much is obvious, but I doubt she could withstand your whole probing thing without some sort of interference. Maybe she's got a metal plate in her head."

Abe laughed a little, but father remained glum. "I'm reserving judgment until the security checks come back, and even then, I want to wait for Abe to get a decent reading from Miss Cyr."

"So what was your 'solution'?" Everyone knew but me, dammit.

"I gave them jobs on base."

"WHAT?"

"Lower your voice."

"Sorry." I really wanted a cigar.

"Apparently, the crazy one is our new chef." Abe said smugly.

"WHAT?"

Father just groaned. "Well, it was either that or letting them go back out there with no jobs, possible jail time and no privacy for the rest of their lives. Tanner won't let them go without making their lives utter chaos, so I found a way to keep them here."

I mimicked my father and groaned. "Fine. At least tell me she can cook better than McCarthy."

"She's a chili cooking contest champion."

I gave my father a light squeeze. "I _love_ you."

Abe laughed.

* * *

Rielle:

We were shown to our temporary quarters, where we were to stay until our security checks came in. _I've seen worse, _I thought when the door was opened. It was cold, bare, and only slightly bigger than a closet, but at least it had a plant. _Yay. _Naturally Lavinia beat me to the top bunk, took dibs on it before I could even put my backpack down. Beats me how she managed to climb that fast with one arm in a cast and bandaged feet, but hell, the bitch was persistent.

"Tramp."

"Bitch!" She shot back. We got a funny look from the guard before she shut the door on her way out.

I sat on my bunk and popped my boot off. The other was bandaged and swollen so my other boot was hanging off a strap on my bag. Already the swelling had subsided, but with all the running around today, it could have been better. I swung my feet up onto the lumpy mattress and passed out for a while to the tune of Lavinia's heavy snores.

I didn't count the on and off napping in the hole as sleep, so technically, we'd been up and running for around 36 hours. We both needed the rest after an amazing and frightening day.

When I woke up a few hours later I immediately reached for my bag. My dreams were so strange, so vivid. I wanted to get them down on paper before I forgot.

All the rustling woke Lavinia, who grumbled and tried to whack me from above, but she was easily dodged and I got down to writing. After a page and a half I only had the first few scenes of the dream, lots of screaming, guns and blood. Technically one could call that a nightmare but I was a little weird and just called it an entertaining yet slightly disturbing dream. Well, if it wasn't for the main character. He was predominant in almost every scene. I know I probably made stuff up, like his hand being stone and the huge twisted horns, but the rest seemed so real.

When I was finished, I had pretty much everything down and it ended up 5 pages long. I wondered if it had some prophetic meaning, some bit of futuristic advice I should follow, or was it just some super-detailed dream I could write off as just too much pizza before bed.

* * *

Hellboy:

After finding out about Abe's reading of the girl Lavinia, my new chef, _Whee!_ I was much relieved. She may be a little light in the head but at least she was safe. And Dad trusted her enough to expose her more to me and Abe. She'd get used to us sooner or later.

It was the other one I was worried about. She was a knife-wielding, unreadable intelligent person who was now given access to plenty of solid bashing tools and multi-ton moving objects. Might get passed off as paranoid if I said it aloud, but something about that just didn't sit right with me. Note the sarcasm.

The three of us said our goodnights but not before I had assurances Abe would try the probing thing again. He said that it would be difficult without direct contact, but not impossible.

I _was_ going to go back to my room to catch CSI and get a short workout but yet again my belly grumbled at me. Instead I stalked off to the cafeteria, now closed, but I knew where the unlocked kitchen access was. I had a craving for leftover pizza.

* * *

Rielle:

I couldn't get back to sleep. The smallest sounds kept waking me up just as I was drifting, and Lavinia's obnoxious snoring didn't help one bit. I spent a good 20 minutes staring at her bedsprings before I got fed up and crawled out of bed. According to the clock it was around 10:30, so there should still be access to food. I nixed my shoes, avoiding a goofy looking limp, settling for just hobbling slightly. The door was well oiled and didn't creak as I pulled it open, hoping to keep silent for Lavinia's sake. Poor kid was just zonked. I slipped out and smacked right into the guard.

"Need anything?"

_Great. And the restrictions begin. _"Food. Against regulations?" I was really pushing my luck and I knew it, so I have myself a mental bitchslapping and calmed down. My mouth got me into enough shit already.

"No, but do you know the way there?" She asked sweetly, not a hint of sarcasm. I had to quit assuming people in uniform were assholes.

"Uhh, yah," I replied uncertainly. She noticed and grinned. "But just in case, what do I do if I get lost?"

"Just yell a little. People get lost here all the time. Oh, and technically, the kitchens closed up now. But there's a back way in for midnight snackers they haven't shut off yet. Look for the kitchen access sign."

Cool. "Alrighty then."

"If you want, I'll escort you." She offered. I declined and started off. "Oh, and by the way," she said loudly as I was about to turn a corner, "You got to loosen up a little. We're pretty relaxed here after hours."

I smiled at her. "Thanks. I'm tense enough as it is, having the guards be all evil and following me would just suck." She laughed a bit as I disappeared. _That's it; this place is officially on my Weird list._

Yet again the almost complete lack of standard military procedure made me a lot more comfortable. Maybe that's how they presented themselves in front of civvies, even ones under probation like me and Vinny. Still, it was cool of them.

As I hobbled my way down the semi-dark hallways, I ran into only a few scattered soldiers in varied camo-wear, and one guy in a suit who gave me a dirty look as we brushed shoulders. _Tightass, _I thought when I saw his shoes, tie and watchband matched colors exactly. _I can probably check my makeup in that gargantuan bald spot if he just kneeled down a little. _

I found the back access door to the kitchen and tested the knob, found it unlocked. Inside it was dark except for a few stove lights and the crimson emergency exit sign on the other side of the massive room. Creeping around in the dark like this I felt a little disoriented, but my empty belly spurned me on.

* * *

Hellboy:

I ran into that asshole Tanner in the hallway, the guy who's been harassing my father lately. He was holding yet another file to shove down his throat, and from the looks of it the thing was stuffed with procedural crap again. So naturally I got a kick out f his trying to squish past me in the narrow hall and getting a doorknob up his ass for his trouble. _Goes nice with the pole already up there, pal._

The kitchen wasn't far so I didn't run into anyone else before I got there. I saw a light inside through the small window near the top, probably another soldier rooting around the fridge, so I pushed my way in, assuming they wouldn't care. Who ever was in there kept the lights off, but I didn't mind. The dark didn't spook me even though my night-vision was about as good as Liz's. I was used to dark places.

I knew my way around and headed for the now-closed fridge. The other guy wasn't there anymore, now he was somewhere to the left by the counters.

"Hello?" _Oh, it's a girl._

"Hey."

"You know where the forks are?"

"You new?"

"Yah." The reply was accentuated with a bang. "Fucking hell!"

"You okay?"

"Goddamned boxes." Her voice came from the floor four feet away. I could barely make her out, but could tell she was tiny. I heard her shuffling boxes out of the way as she got up and started rifling through drawers.

"Other side of the counter, third from the right." I said helpfully.

"Thanks."

She sounded more and more familiar. I wanted to get a closer look, but, well, I was nervous. If she was who I thought she was, I might get a stab wound or two. Negative aspects of being in a kitchen with pointy things. _Nah, can't be her, there's other newbies here too. Could be a rookie soldier or something._

* * *

Rielle:

"Ha!" _Victory is mine!_

Found the forks?" the man with the deep voice asked. He was somewhere near the fridge, digging through the dish rack for a plate. There wasn't any light but from the digital stove clock and he was only slightly green lit. The exit sign wasn't visible from here.

"Yup. Now the fun part, where's the microwave?"

"What do you have?"

"Some weird chicken veggie shit."

He made a disgusted "Blegh." Sound, "I'd skip it if I were you, it's gross."

"Oh, I know, my friend ate it earlier, but there wasn't any leftover pizza when I checked, so I'm sort of stuck."

The guy muttered "Damn". The green light blotted momentarily as he moved past the stove towards where I was. Christ, he was huge.

_Waitaminute. Nahhh, couldn't be._ I wanted to see him better so I moved back around the counter a little. "Where's the microwave?" I repeated, clutching my plate of good as I maneuvered over the boxes. We weren't 5 feet from each other but his back was turned, so I couldn't see his face. He lifted an arm and pointed to the left of the fridge.

"Got to be something edible in here."

"I saw some bread in the fridge, maybe there's meat and cheese?"

"Mmm, sandwich." He did a decent Homer Simpson impression!

I popped my plate in the microwave and tried to see the buttons enough to actually turn it on. My kitchen-buddy was almost back to the fridge when suddenly I heard a bang and a yelp. The fridge door flew open and whacked me hard, knocking me off balance. The open door exposed the room to dull illumination but from my angle I could only see the ceiling.

Another loud crash sounded so I lifted my head from the floor and saw someone's kneecap under the fridge door, surrounded with those little ketchup packets and a can of Coke.

"Oh shit, you okay?" I asked around giggles. Sure, I was concerned for his wellbeing and all, but it was funny!

The guy grumbled a bit. "Ow."

Beside the knee a giant reddish fist smacked into the floor. Then I saw a bit of black hair and red skin above the door.

"Goddamned kitchen staff." A pair of yellow eyes next. Then he spotted me. "YOU!"

The microwave dinged. _Eep!_

* * *

Hellboy:

_I knew it!_

The girl looked as shocked as I felt, but I expected a scream or even a harsh intake of breath from her and it didn't come. She just waved and said "Hello."

I got off my knee and stood up, rubbing at the bump on my temple, feeling a little dumb. She also got off the ground and wiped some crumbs off her already dirty clothes. I noticed something flash in her hair.

"Your fork..." I started, fumbling. Her left eyebrow lifted. "Umm, fork's in your hair."

"Shit." She felt around and yanked the fork out, pulling a small chunk of long black hair with it without cringing. Then we just stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do next. _Those are the same clothes she had on this morning,_ I remembered from the med lab incident. Her hair was a little messier but her face was clean.

"Umm..." she smiled shyly. It was my turn to lift an eyebrow. She pointed at my chest; I looked and sighed at the red ketchup stain marring my shirt. I looked around in vain for a dish cloth to dab the stuff off with. I closed the fridge door and found the stove-top light, flicking it on but still, I couldn't see a cloth anywhere.

The girl, Rielle silently watched for a few seconds, then grabbed her chicken-sludge from the microwave. I heard her plate hit the counter behind me. I felt her move again and the light tapping on my left arm. I turned and accepted the wad of napkins she held.

"Thanks."

Our eyes met and held for a minute. Then her eyes moved to the ketchup stain on my shirt. I looked at her for a couple seconds more; _she's got a cut on her head, _and then also stared at the red gob on my shirt. She let go of the napkins and moved away, making a strange noise in her throat, and it took a while until I grasped that she was laughing again.

* * *

Rielle:

I knew damned well laughing at someone who was twice my size and looked like a demon wasn't exactly a genius thing to do, but I just couldn't help myself. The entire scene was ridiculous! The domesticity of food preparation, the damned fork in my hair and the general chaos resulting from him smacking into the fridge like that was bad enough, but seeing this huge guy trying his damnedest to wipe ketchup off his shirt and only succeeding in spreading it around just made it worse.

"_Not_ funny." He sounded pissed, but he was visibly amused from the curve of his lips. He gave up the fight once the stain was double the size and tossed the napkins away, only making a bigger mess when they went splat onto the nice white cupboard doors, distributing little red globs all over the place... and that only made me laugh harder.

He looked at me oddly so I pointed at the new mess.

"Aww, son of a bitch!"

I couldn't breathe! My gut hurt, I was laughing so hard! I couldn't even see the red guy for all the tears clouding my eyes. What a tension relief!

My opinion of this unusual guy changed in that instant. Sure he had red skin, but then again, to a lesser extent, so did I. So he had a tail and horns? _Well, used to have horns..._ didn't mean fuck all to me. Plus, with the last couple of minutes, he really showed himself to be a decent guy, normal as hell. Clumsy maybe, but then again, so was I. And anyone who can put up with my laughing with patience _had_ to be cool.

He shook his head and chuckled at my helpless display. "You done yet?" he said in good humour, waving a bag of whole wheat bread around.

I tried various breathing techniques to calm down, still busting out into giggles now and again as the big guy prepared hat appeared to be a ham sandwich. He put all his stuff in the sink and put the plate on the counter in front of me, taking my bowl of now partially congealed food away. "Eat."

"Huh? What about you?"

He held up another plate with a huge sandwich on it, placed it on the counter and sat down across from me. Didn't say anything, just started chowing down on his meal.


	5. Sandwiches and Beeeeer

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Hellboy Universe, but I own Rielle and Lavinia. So there. :P_

_Note: I'm finding myself doubting my own conversations. Grr. Oh, and the ten tits line I had to steal, because I loved it so, from the pit and the pendulum, a very bad movie with Lance Hendrickson. Please don't sue, I'm a poor hapless student. Hope you enjoy it, and again, thank you muchly for the feedback_.

**Chapter Five:**

Hellboy:

I only relaxed completely when she picked up her sandwich and took a giant bite.

"Mmm, dish ish weawy goosh."

I nodded, pretending I knew what the hell she was saying with a mouthful of food. She was a character alright, no wonder Pop liked her, totally different than the knife-wielding ice-queen from this morning. We ate in companionable silence, only rarely looking at each other to see if we were looking at each other. It was weird, but a nice change from 'A_hhh what the hell are you'_, or another of the usual barrage of questions.

"Can I ask you a question?"

_Sigh._ "Sure."

"What did you put on this?" She held up what was left of her dinner.

_Oh. _"It's a secret."

She growled and took another ungirlish bite. I just sat back and watched her eat. Besides the hunk of sandwich stuffed in her cheeks like a squirrel, she wasn't a bad looking chick. Not a model, but not ugly either. Handsome, if one could use that word for a girl. Brush that black hair till it shone, clean off the rest of the dirt and put her into some clean clothes and I sure as hell wouldn't deny she was a looker.

I must have stared too long cause she quirked her eyebrow at me again. _Caught!_

"What?" She felt her lips with a hand like she was checking for crumbs.

"Just curious."

"Ditto." She swallowed the last of her sandwich, blushing a little. _For someone who acts tough she sure as hell can go shy and skittish fast._ "You first."

I thought for a minute. _What to ask first?_ I had so many questions but the chance to have them answered straight from the source wasn't something I thought would happen anytime soon. Finally I asked her why the sudden 180 degree change of attitude towards my appearance. "This morning you were ready to jump into battle, now you're eating with me alone in a kitchen and noticeably not homicidal." She laughed at 'homicidal.'

"Well, umm, okay, this morning, I was exhausted, sore as hell from the fall and in a strange place with a bunch of guys with needles. Add to that I was a little hung over with the Jack Daniels the night before."

"You didn't _look_ hung over."

"By then I was pretty wired. Then in you come and all hell breaks loose, Lavinia freaks out... I just went into kill-mode."

"And now?" Her answer for this morning was understandable, I've been hung over and pissed off too, but her reaction tonight, or lack of, was still unanswered for and I _really _wanted to know.

"Now?" She fiddled with a napkin. "Now I know better."

"You know better."

"Yah." She nodded.

"And you don't care that I'm a big red guy with a tail." I flipped it a little for show.

"Can I be frank?"

I prepped myself for something bad. "Go ahead, I prefer honesty."

"I admit I'm nervous, I don't know you all that well. And all this?" She gestured around, "This place is new to me, and this entire situation is new to me. But the day I care about appearances is the day I grow ten tits and a cunt full of teeth."

* * *

Rielle:

He didn't stop laughing for a good minute. It was refreshing, full and really loud. I must have surprised him.

"You really are nuts!" He sputtered.

"Am not! I'm just blunt."

"Want a beer?" He offered, getting off his stool. I stared for a second at his long red tail, not answering. The way it curled sometimes was neat! "Hello?"

"Huh?" I snapped back to attention.

He grinned. "Were you checking' out my ass?"

"No!" I burst in self-defense. "Beer me." Technically I was, but not like _that_, the big pervert. He rescued a six-pack of Bud from the veggie drawer in the fridge and tossed a frosty one to me. _American beer, Yuck!_

"Your turn." He said after downing the entire can in one long pull. He grabbed another one and sat down while I thought of a question. I settled with something simple.

"Well, you already know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Hellboy."

"Hellboy?" I seriously doubted it. Hellboy would be a nickname at best, really. Then again I couldn't see this guy being named 'Steve' or 'Bob' either.

"Yup, everyone just calls me Red or something, so... yah, call me whatever."

I nodded. "Cool. Hellboy it is, then. Your go."

"That's it?"

"What?"

"That's your question. My name."

"Well, I wanted to know so I didn't say 'Hey You' all the time."

"Okay, lemme think."

I popped the tab on my own beer and chugged half of it. "Ugh, piss-light American beer."

"It works."

"Yah, but... ugh!"

"Hey, if you don't want it..." His tail went creeping across the table to snag my beer from me but I swatted it off.

"Grr. Mine." I hugged it to my chest and glowered at the receding tail. _Neat, but sneaky._

"Got my question."

"Shoot."

"Why aren't you asking a bunch of questions?"

I polished off my can and he handed me the remaining three. "I don't know. I'm curious and all, It's not everyday I meet someone like you. But it seems..." I hesitated, trying to find the right word. "Rude. It seems rude. If someone I never met started with a million extra personal questions, or just plain dumb ones, I'd be a little pissed."

He nodded, quiet, so I continued. "If you tell me about yourself, it should be when and how you want to, not because I'm forcing you. If I really want to know something, I'll ask, but for now I'll just leave it alone until I know you better. Make sure I don't say anything that'll piss you off." I finished with a grin.

"Ha!"

"And I'll assume you'll do the same for me? Your secrets are your own, just like mine are mine."

"Fair enough. Your turn."

I laughed. After that big speech about personal questions I was supposed to think of an appropriate one? I needed more beer for that. I tossed Hellboy one of the last two, which he caught easily in that huge right hand of his, and left the final one in the middle for when I was done mine.

"Ahh, I have a good one. Was that you coughing in the next room this morning?"

He scratched his head, trying to look innocent. Funny, but not working one bit.

"Nevermind, you just told me." I said with a smirk, sipping victoriously at my beer. I was already feeling the affects; beer was always evil to me. I generally preferred harder stuff as it didn't make me as drunk as fast. "You know what? I better get my ass back to my room. I need a shower."

Hellboy grinned and sniffed. "Yah, You do."

I glared at him and threw my empties across the room straight into the garbage.

"Nice shot!"

"A fringe benefit of being a formal NBA fanatic." I said as I put my plate in the sink, and then went for his too, having to reach around his massive bulk from behind to get it. "Scuse' me." He shifted a little to the left and I took his empties away too. He smelled a bit like cigar smoke, and that just upped my nicotine fit. I hadn't had a smoke since... well, a while, and I was jittery.

Suddenly his head turned a little and we were face to face, less than half a foot apart. From here I could really see the gold in his eyes. "You really don't care what I look like, do you?"

_Big lug's got a thick skull._ "No, I don't."

"Why?"

My response was instant. "I'm used to being judged by my appearance, but I still hate it. So I've tried not to judge others on theirs." I found I couldn't look him in the eye anymore. I blamed it on the beer.

Hellboy seemed confused. "How?"

"You really like the monosyllabic questions, don't you?" I joked, trying to lighten the conversation. Monosyllabic though they were, his questions were deep and took thought to answer properly, but not over-personal.

My effort to lighten the mood didn't work, he just sat there and frowned, and I felt a little dumb. I found myself blurting out an answer instead of thinking about it, a fault of mine that happened a lot. "People assume that because I'm an Indian I'm a drunken lazy welfare slut, at least they do where I come from."

Hellboy looked like he wanted to say something but before he could I kept on talking, "The fact is, I'm not. And neither are a majority of us. But in general, people don't look at the good in us; they flourish in thinking about the bad. Indian equals drunk, and nothing is going to change their mind."

I took his empty cans to the sink, still talking. "I can see people looking at you and thinking a thousand things that aren't true. So yah, I don't care what you look like, the whole 'judge not lest ye be judged' shit. As long as you're a good person, I don't care if you spew snot out of every orifice and play with your ding-dong constantly." I paused again, enjoying his frown change to a tight grin, "And from what I can tell, you are a decent person. You shared your beer and talked to me, and didn't threaten to eat me for breakfast again." I finished my scattered tirade with another joke, I had to. Just my way.

* * *

Hellboy:

I wanted to hug her. She was leaned back against the counter, hugging herself and blushing furiously, and apparently very interested in something on her bandaged foot.

"I'm sorry. I tend to babble sometimes, and say some shit that can be pretty idiotic."

This young woman with so much hard won wisdom, strong but shy, thought she was an idiot? _My ass. _I found myself already putting her on my 'protect' list. I've never been so amazed with a person in my entire life, and that said a lot. Well, besides Liz, but she was in a category of worship all of her own.

Rielle shook herself and stood straight. "I better go before I say something dumber." She picked up a knee length brown leather jacket and slung it over her shoulders, pulling it tight around her tiny frame.

I played with the tab of my beer can, snapping it over and over til it broke off, unsure of what to say. I wanted to tell her she wasn't an idiot or dumb or anything but I couldn't find the words. Anything that popped in sounded too, well, cheesy.

She turned to leave and I had to think quickly of something to say so she'd stay for another minute. I just said "Hey." And she stopped mid-stride. She looked back at me, hand on the door handle. "Tell your friend I like my chili super hot." _Ooh, nice one, dumb-ass._

She busted out laughing again. Nice to hear and it broke that final bit of uneasiness we both had. "You? You're the 'Special Team' Broom talked about?"

"Me and a couple others, yah."

"Damn, and I thought she was cooking for old army vets or something."

My turn to laugh. Well, it was sort of true, I was old in a way, older than her at least, pushing 60, and a veteran at my job. But I wasn't all wrinkled like Pop.

Rielle turned back to the door, "But I'll tell her anyway, I'm sure she'll be thrilled."

"No jalapeño's though."

"Wuss." She teased, disappearing out the door before I could fight back.

"Hey!"

She called me a chicken! No fair! I just hated jalapeño's! Didn't she just hear me say I liked my chili hot? _Damn!_

* * *

Rielle:

I giggled all the way back to my room where the guard awaited my return.

"Find the place alright?"

"Uh huh."

She opened the door for me and I stepped past the boundary, quietening down so I didn't wake Lavinia. The guard also kept her voice considerably low. "Well, goodnight then."

"Night!" I shut the door on the guard softly before tiptoeing back to the bunk bed and stripping my jacket off. My clothes really were stinky so they went next, thrown into a corner near my boots where they wouldn't be within smelling distance.

I decided to risk waking Lavinia by taking a shower before sacking out for the remaining hours before dawn. I was surprised to find the bathroom acceptably spacious and well stocked with towels, toilet paper and even a tiny tube of toothpaste. _Thank the Gods because whatever Hellboy put on that sandwich smells pretty rank._

Naked and chilled I explored the bathroom, discovering a tiny bottle of shower gel that didn't smell all girly and a few bottles of two in one shampoo. I held back a cheer when the hot water worked and climbed into the shower.

As I soaped myself up real good I couldn't help but think of Hellboy. Sounds pervy, me thinking of that big monkey while all wet and soapy, but it wasn't like that. Really! Who wouldn't be plagued by thoughts of him after meeting him?

Cleaning my swollen foot was a bitch, but I managed to do it without wiping out and bonking my head on something. It didn't hurt nearly as much with all the hot water soothing it. I was making progress getting all the crud off my hair and skin, more light than dark brown showing, and I didn't smell bad anymore. _Big jerk pretty much said I stunk, _I recollected, grinning, _he didn't exactly smell like sweetness and roses either._

I tried to turn my thoughts away from him but then I found a small dried glob of ketchup in my hair and busted out laughing before I could stop myself. Unfortunately I also heard a thump outside and covered my mouth in horror when Lavinia stomped into the bathroom.

"If you're gonna play with yourself in the shower, at least be quiet about it, I'm trying to sleep."

I sputtered a little at her and told her to piss off. I heard her mischievous snickering as she flushed the toilet, an act of revenge for waking her up. Screaming, I leapt away from the sudden intolerably hot stream of water and cursed her to grow fungus in her armpits. _Bitch!_


	6. Chickfights and Psychic Invasions

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Hellboy Universe, but I own Rielle and Lavinia. So there. :P_

_Note: Wow. You guys are great to me, thank you so much. One question though, What the bloody heck is Mary Sue? I'm sort of dense, I have no clue. I'll try to update again ASAP. _

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Lavinia:

"What the hell are we supposed to wear today?" I whined, picking up my stank socks. I wondered if they'd stick to the wall if I threw them hard enough. _Gross._

Both me and Rielle were running around in towels, hurrying to get ready for another meeting with Broom and an introduction to some of the others, but we couldn't find a shred of clean clothing anywhere. Even Rielle's ever-present backpack was empty of spare changes. She used her last T-shirt to bandage my foot that night.

"I don't have a freaking clue, but I'm _not_ going to meet these people in those clothes." Rielle replied, pointing at the pile of dirty clothes in the corner, they looked as bad as mine and smelled worse.

I got fed up with searching and centered on getting. I headed to the door, pulled it open and stalked out into the busy hallway. The replacement guard's eyes popped out when he beheld me in nothing but a towel.

"Vinny, get your big brown butt back in here!"

I had an audience! Soldiers bumped into each other and some weenuk balding guy in a suit literally gave himself whiplash passing me.

"Excuse me," I started, doing a showy spin, "Me and my friend need some clothes, and would appreciate it very much if some very nice person could bring some to us."

Rielle's arm shot out the door, grasped the back of my neck in an iron grip and yanked me back inside the room. "God, your crazy!"

We both heard the applause outside our room and Rielle huffed in exasperation.

"What?" _What'd I do?_

Five minutes later there was a light knock on the door and I have Ellie my patented 'told you' look before opening it with flourish. Unfortunately it wasn't some hot soldier boy like I had hoped; it was a slightly shocked Professor Broom holding a pile of neatly folded military wear.

I heard Rielle yell "Gah!" and run off to the bathroom with her towel flapping behind her. The door slammed hard.

I resolved to make this as unembarrassing as possible in spite of the circumstances. "Good morning, Professor Broom. I'd shake your hand, but..." I clutched my towel tightly. "Not exactly the brightest idea at the moment."

"No need, I can see you're," he stopped, grinned, "In an awkward position."

_You can say that again, _I thought as I heard Rielle open the bathroom door.

"Is it safe?"

I took the clothes from the Professor with a 'thank you' smile, finally noticing he was leaning on a cane today, and said, "Say good morning, Ellie!"

"He he he, uhh, hi."

"I'll just leave you two alone for a few minutes; can you be ready in five minutes?"

"No problem."

"I'll be outside."

He shut the door behind him and Rielle stepped out of the bathroom, red as red can be. I had to bug her.

"Showin' the old man some skin you pervert?"

She whacked me with the cargoes I handed her.

"Hag." _How dare she?_

"Slut." She closed the bathroom door again, and only then did I notice she stole my pants.

* * *

Bruttenholm:

The two escorts and I stood patiently outside the door, and I watched as the soldiers struggled with their sense of humour at hearing the two girls making such a racket. We could hear them through the door, yelling at each other and the occasional Thump as something heavy hit the wall. The discipline of one of my men broke as he asked "Just what are they doing in there?"

As if in answer, a shrill voice penetrated the walls. "Give me my pants!" _Thump!_

"Make me!" _Thump._

_Oh dear lord, they'll tear the place down._

It was no mystery to me why my son liked them so much already. He so much as said why late last night when he invaded my bedroom and started babbling until I was forced to stop him. He told me all about the kitchen talks and had nothing but praise for the girls, only disliking Miss Cyr's taste in beer. I told him to go to bed after a half hour of ranting as I was too tired to take any more, but I was happy that my son was so thrilled.

All the noise inside the girl's room now only reminded me of when Hellboy was much younger and more hot-tempered. We soon learned that having him near anything breakable when he was in a mood was an invitation to destruction.

"Say sorry first."

"Never!"

_We're going to be late._ I checked my pocket-watch and knocked on the door. "Is everything all right in there?"

"Fine!" said a faux-innocent Rielle, obviously out of breath.

"Yah, fine!" echoed a choked, grainy voice, which I only assumed was Miss Asaiken in a headlock. I'd heard enough to recognize a headlock from years of tearing my son off of various insulting rookie soldiers.

I saw the escorts look at each other and glance at the door like it held candy inside. I avoided thinking of why, I was young once as well.

Not long after, the door opened and the girls came out, fully dressed, unbruised and presentable, much to the disappointment of the escorts. I greeted them again and received warm smiles in return. Miss Asaiken apologized for 'flashing' me earlier, and Miss Cyr blushed. They each took one of my arms, Miss Asaiken being careful not to hit my cane as we went, and we walked together to my office where I was about to introduce them formally to both the 'Special Team' and some of the people they would be working for.

I had mulled over whether to do a meet and greet with my son and Abraham last night and had concluded it wouldn't be a good idea just yet, but when Hellboy told me about the kitchen I reconsidered. If Lavinia had the same attitude towards Hellboy and Abraham as Rielle did, maybe things would be easier. I wouldn't have to explain the massive amounts of pancakes and rotten eggs, for one thing.

We rounded a corner and faced the large oak doors to my office, and here I hesitated. Lavinia squeezed my arm very lightly and appeared troubled. "Are you alright, sir?"

I patted her hand and opened the doors. I had no choice but to be alright with this. It didn't mean I had to like it.

* * *

Rielle:

I still hadn't told Lavinia about my meeting with Hellboy last night, and I felt sort of bad for it. It had been bugging me all morning. So when Broom pushed the doors open to reveal the big man lounging in the same chair Vinny was perched in yesterday, decked out in black and gripping a full pot of coffee in his stone right hand, I reached around and rubbed Vinny's shoulder reassuringly, hoping she wouldn't run off.

Hellboy waved cheerfully at us as we came in, and I waved back, watching for spazz-signals from Lavinia. Even Broom seemed to brace himself for an explosion.

Surprisingly enough Vinny kept her cool, even when Red got off his chair and shook her hand. "So you're my new chef, huh? Hi, I'm Hellboy."

Her eyes bugged out a little but she managed to return the greeting. _Good for you, Vinny. _

"How's your head?" I asked, indicating the bump on his temple, which was now a darker shade of red and almost looked like a third horn.

"Could be worse. How's your foot?"

"Better. Bath made the swelling go down."

Hellboy let go of Vinny's hand and went back to his seat. Broom gave Vinny a pat on the shoulder and he stepped past. "Coffee anyone?"

I waved my hand excitedly, needing the caffeine boost right now, but before Broom could even get a cup for me, Lavinia grabbed my arm and said "Excuse us." In a jittery voice, then dragged me away to where we could confer privately like yesterday.

"Lavinia..." I started but she shut me up fast.

"What... The... Fuck?"

I gave her a quick hug and felt her shaking. She was so frightened and did such a good job of covering it, but I knew her much too well.

"Calm down sweetie." I brushed her hair out of her face. "He's a good guy."

"How do you know?" Her eyes were accusatory, a little angry.

"Look, I'll tell you later, but for now, just... just think of him as a really big Indian."

That got her giggling. "A big Indian." She said a little doubtfully.

"Yah, like Maurice."

"As if!" Maurice was like an uncle to us, huge and goofy and the best dancer anyone's seen in years. We both adored him.

"Please? Give the big lug a chance, trust me." I pleaded.

Vinny took a deep shaky breath and closed her eyes. "A big Indian, a big Indian." She repeated over and over, like saying it enough times would make it true. I sympathized but I also knew she'd come around eventually.

I had to grin when I saw Red's tail flipping around holding a coffee cup. I wanted to talk with him again so I started pushing Vinny back into view. She smiled at Hellboy when he held a cup full of steaming coffee to her, and took it without trembling as much. _Yay!_ He handed me my cup as well and sat back down.

Broom watched all this silently but his mind was on something else. His eyes kept darting to the fish tank and back to the three of us. "Where's Abraham?" he asked Hellboy.

Lavinia poked me and whispered, "Who's Abraham?" I didn't know either so I shrugged.

"I don't know, I woke him up a while ago."

Broom rubbed his temple in frustration, "He was up reading all night again, I'll wager."

"He finished Moby Dick yet?"

We were virtually forgotten as Hellboy and Professor Broom spoke about this Abe guy, who apparently read a lot and slept late very rarely. I didn't mind, the conversation was fascinating in itself and the relationship between Red and Broom felt strong, almost father-son. It was sort of cute, the little old man and the big red behemoth being so close.

Lavinia also kept her mouth shut, entranced by Hellboy's flicking red tail, her eyes following every movement. If she was a kitten I swore she would have attacked it by now.

* * *

Hellboy:

I could feel the redhead watching me and it made me feel uncomfortable, so I tried to ignore it and talked with Dad instead. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rielle smirking at her friend, twirling a lock of hair around her index finger. The clothes they had were military issue but I was right about her, she looked good cleaned up. I took back the word 'handsome' I labelled her with last night.

"Good Morning, all!" came Abe's electronically projected voice from the tank. There was a light thud as his hand hit the glass.

The girls reacted better than I thought they would. Rielle's expression was priceless, jaw dropped, eyebrows straight up. Then she covered her gaping mouth with a hand and just looked.

Lavinia fainted.

"Oh, they're here already." Blue swam around to get a closer look at the girl on the floor, only then did Rielle notice her friend was unconscious.

"Oh Hell." She hopped off her chair and bent to her friend, lifting her head and checking her pupils, worried but shaking with laughter.

"Is she okay?" I joined Rielle on the floor, waving a book to fan the poor kid.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I didn't know they were already here," Said Abe.

Rielle looked over her shoulder, "Don't worry. She's always been a bit of a fainter. She'll be alright in a minute."

"I certainly hope so."

I helped Rielle lift her friend off the floor and dump her in a chair. Rielle sat on the arm and checked her pupils again while I poured some more coffee for her. "Lots of sugar, she'll need it when she wakes up." She looked over at me with a thankful smile.

Rielle took the cup from me and set it on the table next to her, then, leaving her friend, gathered herself and turned to meet Abe formally. She studied him for a moment before speaking. "You must be Abraham."

"Abe is fine."

"Or fish-boy." I said.

"No, not 'fish-boy' you big monkey."

"Children! Must you fight this early and in front of guests?"

"Sorry, Pop."

"Sorry Professor." We said in unison, much to Rielle's amusement. From the looks of it, after the initial shock of seeing Abe, she had the same attitude towards him as me. She showed no fear at all, going right up to the tank, face to face with him. She whispered his name. "Nice name."

Then her brow darkened and she stepped back. "What..." She met Abe's unblinking eyes and a low growl emitted from her throat.

_Oh, damn. He tried to read her._

* * *

Abraham:

I didn't do much better this time around trying to probe her mind, and actually just pissed her off some more. I ran into the brick wall again, but it was weaker this time now that I only had a plate of glass between us. Through cracks I could pick up worry for her friend's well-being, something about a car delivery, and ham sandwiches. _What the..._

Then the girl shut off completely, I only caught a glimpse of her betrayed emotion as she stepped away from me.

"Great first impression, Abe." Red muttered angrily.

"You two should leave for now, we'll confer later." The Professor sounded angry. Maybe I shouldn't have tried so early, but who knew the girl could feel me in there?

Red said goodbye to the girl, "We'll talk later." and strode out, all the while glaring holes through me. He was stomping towards my quarters to; I presume, give me a good bellowing at, so I met him there and explained myself from the safety of the tank.

"What's the big idea trying to read her already?"

"I thought you wanted me to!"

"That was before we talked last night."

"Pardon?"

Hellboy groaned. "We really have to work out our communication problems, Abe."

* * *

Bruttenholm:

_One disaster after another._ I took a pillow and laid it gently under the head of Miss Asaiken, gauging how angry the other was. _Judging by her glowering at the tank, I'd say she's furious._

"I apologize for that. Abe is usually much more polite."

"He tried that yesterday too, didn't he? Getting inside my head, I mean." The redness was already fading from her cheeks as she looked to me for an honest answer. How she could tell Abe was in there was beyond me, and an honest answer I was afraid would only anger her again.

"Professor?"

Honesty, then. "Yes, he did."

She huffed and shook her head, stroking Lavinia's brow with one hand and gripping her coffee cup like her self-control depended on its stability.

"Look, I know there's a matter of security involved and all, and you need answers. But, please, if you want to know things about me, I'd prefer if you'd just ask. I hate when people seek things out dishonestly. Like this... it's mind-rape and I don't appreciate it."

Neither did I, personally. That's why I absolutely forbade Abraham reading me without my express permission. Mind-rape it was, other wise.

Rielle continued. "I know we've only known each other for a day but I already have massive respect for you. You've never been anything but honest with me and Lavinia so far, and I had hoped it would continue."

"Would you feel more comfortable if we just sat down and had a chat instead?"

"Yes. I would prefer that. If _you_ would feel better, bring him. I'll open up a little and he can tell you if I'm being truthful, but please, don't try such an underhanded method again."

It felt like an ultimatum but I was inclined to accept. At least she was willing to compromise. We agreed to terms with a toast, her with a fresh coffee and me with my orange juice. The oddness of the moment made us both smile.

It was when our cups clinked that young Lavinia stirred. Rielle jumped to her side again, helping her sit up properly.

"Ahh, shit, I passed out again, didn't I?"

"Uh huh."

"And I just swore in front of Broom too?"

"Uh huh."

"Crap."

Rielle gave her her coffee and she drank it all at once. "Where's..." she shook herself. "You know what? Never mind. I'm sorry."

"For what, child?"

"I haven't handled any of this very well, and here I go fainting like some girly girl when this guy comes in to say hi."

"Understandable."

She groaned. "No, it's not. I wouldn't like it very much if someone fainted at the mere sight of me."

"You'd like it if he were a total babe." Rielle joked, squeezing her friend protectively.

"Well, that goes without saying. Mmm, unconscious man meat."

_Oh dear lord._


	7. Burgers and Tanner

_

* * *

Disclaimer: don't own anything but Rielle and Lavinia. :P_

_Note: Finally, a little plot development! Haha. Thanks for the answers about Mary-Sue and her evil friends... I just hope that I avoid the problem with the help of my new beta, Judocat. and thanks again for all the wonderful feedback!_

**Chapter 7:**

Abraham:

Broom walked in a few minutes after Hellboy had explained all, and I half-expected another lecture from him as well. Imagine my surprise when he asked me and Red to come back to his office to meet with the girls again, as per Lavinia's request. Even Hellboy looked a little astonished, a feat not easily achieved considering all he's seen. Broom just shrugged and walked out with Red in tow.

I swam back to the other side of the tank and this time nobody fainted. Lavinia apologized for 'her wussiness', and even said she would have hugged me if she could swim. Rielle didn't come near and I didn't try to read her, but we agreed that if it was ever to happen it would be through mutual agreement. Of course Red had to say something sarcastic and a bit perverted, but Rielle whacked him and he apologized. Now that I've seen them together it should have been obvious they were familiar... Not just anyone can raise a hand to Hellboy, even jokingly.

"What I meant was, no messin' around in there... damn, how do you say it _without_ it sounding bad?"

"You can't. Probing, poking, invading, anything!" Red counted the words off his fingers.

"Children!"

Everyone said "Sorry," but me, I was too busy not laughing and trying to look dignified and offended.

We ended our little meeting on a good note and me and Red left again. Now that he had more material to bug me with I'd never get any peace, already he was rattling off variants of the word 'poke'.

"Ram... ram is another good one."

"Get stuffed."

It bothered me. Not Red's annoying ability to come up with new names for me, The Rammer now his favourite, but Rielle's hesitation to let me read her, and how she knew I was there, and, well, everything about her. It takes a lot of mental training to resist a probe, _great, now even I think it sounds perverted, _and I found it peculiar that a young woman such as Rielle possessed such knowledge. I was determined now to sate my curiosity, but I didn't want to piss her off further. I had a feeling it wouldn't be a healthy decision. I'd have to find another way.

* * *

Lavinia:

_Yay! I didn't faint, squeal, scream or anything! I rule! _The fish-guy was kind of cool, actually, smart, and patient too. I could tell it took a lot of restraint not to yell at Hellboy.

Speaking of which... Ellie had some explaining to do. The way she was so comfortable with this huge red demony guy it's like they'd already met, well, discounting the whole med-lab freak-out.

After those two left, the place seemed so empty, just us and the Mad Hatter again. He said more people were coming to meet us but made sure we knew they were human. "Unfortunately, they're mostly bureaucrats."

Rielle visibly shuddered and Broom chuckled. "I know, but it's necessary. You'll also get a tour of where you'll be working and all those details will be handled this afternoon."

"Quick question?" Rielle stuck her hand up.

"This isn't a school, Miss Cyr. But go ahead."

Ellie put her hand down. "I'm wondering if there's any way we can get some supplies from home. I love the clothes, really, but..."

Broom interrupted, "Yes, after you're shown around I'll have a guard take you home to stock up for a couple of days."

_Oh thank god. The deodorant they supplied was just plain nasty._

We met and talked with the 'suits', as Rielle called them, over a light breakfast of coffee and muffins. Only two of them weren't 'suits' and I ended up talking more with them. One of them was the chef, McCarthy, who was retiring to open his own coffee shop, and I was taking over for. He seemed nice, relieved to be leaving. It made me a little afraid of what I was in for.

The other was the head of the Garage, Sgt. Chan. He didn't seem as pleased to meet Rielle, and didn't hide it very well at all. Broom noticed but he remained silent but watchful. Frankly I wanted to whack him with one of the books lying around but I think it would have made things worse.

Then there was this Tanner guy, who was just plain ridiculous, and not in a fun circus clown way either. Absolutely everything on this guy matched, I think he polished his bald spot and I could small his cheap Avon hand cream. My kokum used the same kind in the winter when her hands got cracked, and the scent was distinctive.

He was also the guy who gave himself whiplash in the hallway this morning trying to get a peek at my jubblies. It looked like he was still trying too, the pervert. I wanted to hide behind Rielle just to get out of his line of sight but I was stuck where I was. _Ahh, deal with it._

All these suits wanted to talk about was procedure, and it was really boring. Even McCarthy was yawning, he was retiring so he could afford to. "Just think of them as the teacher in those Snoopy cartoons, and you'll be just fine." He whispered to me as Tanner was ranting about security. I had to stop myself from laughing outright.

* * *

Rielle:

Tanner let Vinny off easy. So far all of her security checks came back clean and he only gave her some crap about an alcohol problem. That really pissed her off.

"I don't _have _an alcohol problem." She said through grated teeth.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, on to you Miss Sire."

"Cyr. Like 'seeing'."

"Mmm hmmm." He said impatiently, and I imagined me beating the pompous bastard to a pulp with Abe's hard cover of Moby Dick. The image soothed me. "You're an anomaly. We haven't been able to find much of anything on you."

"There's nothing to find." I said in self defence, knowing damn well there was.

"There's a four year period starting 1997 where it seems you just disappeared off the planet. What were you doing?"

Lavinia also looked at me. She didn't know either. I had told her I went through some drug problems and just wasn't around, but I didn't tell her details. We barely saw each other for those years between age 22 and 26. Really, we'd only been hanging out again for two years since.

Broom leaned forward in his chair as well, intent on the answers he sought so readily. I hated lying to him and Lavinia but I had no choice. I made myself appear as pathetic as possible and kept silent, and just as I had hoped, Lavinia spoke for me.

"Leave her alone, man; she had some problems back then."

"What kind of problems?" Tanner snapped.

I sighed in false shame and dropped my eyes. "Cocaine. I went through rehab after my arrest instead of going to jail."

"Can this be substantiated?"

I gave him the name and number of my 'rehab' center. That seemed to be enough answer for now, at least enough to satisfy Tanner. _Broom doesn't believe it, _I saw him and his disbelief was visible, but thankfully he saved his questions for later. _I can deal with that in private, as long as it isn't in front of Tanner. _

A while later we were saying goodbye to Broom, who held my hand just a microsecond longer and tighter than Vinny's, and he made sure I saw his doubt of my old 'drug problem'. _Damn, I didn't count on his perceptiveness. Damn, Damn, Damn! _I kept up my innocent act anyways and left with the group felling like an utter shit. After my big speech about honesty here I was lying to him. _I am going straight to hell for this._

* * *

Bruttenholm:

I hadn't had the desire to strike a person since 1964, until I beheld Tanner's quite obvious racism towards our newest employees. I'd experienced fear, even hatred directed towards my son and it angered me, but there was something about racism in itself that made me just shake with fury.

Thankfully another mystery presented itself soon enough to distract me from acting out my desire to send my son after Mr. Tanner for a 'visit', and it was young Rielle's well thought out and backed up cover-story. I'd heard e4nough lies in my lifetime, and they had very small signs that became blaring alarms once familiar with them. I was lucky to catch hers, the convincing actress she was.

From all appearances, her friend was ignorant of the truth as well, so questioning Lavinia was out of the question. And despite Rielle's already breaking hour 'honesty vow' as I called it, I didn't not plan on breaking mine by using Abe. Maybe she had a reason for lying, and I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, I really did.

_Sigh. Maybe she'll come clean in private. Maybe she didn't want to reveal herself in front of that buffoon Tanner and his band of moronic cronies._

"Broom."

_Speaking of which..._

Tanner was back already, apparently foregoing the tour with the girls. _Hooray for them, boo for me._ He shut the doors behind him and wiped his face with his ever-present sweat stained handkerchief.

"How in God's name can you tolerate those two?"

"I've learned a lot about toleration lately." I gazed into Abe's tank and tried to think of something pleasant.

"Yah, well, how you do it is a mystery to me."

_Tying your shoes is probably still a mystery to you._ I surprised myself with my own rage and tried a few breathing techniques to calm down.

Tanner slapped his suitcase down on my antique table and flopped in a chair. "What I don't understand is why, out of all the economically feasible solutions and in spite of all the security risks, you give these two women jobs within the BRPD! Christ, Trevor!"

_Wonderful, now he feels he can use my first name like we're social and intellectual equals._ "You don't know them."

"Neither do you! You met them, what, yesterday? And now they're employees? A couple of foreign broads?"

"Well, luckily it's my choice, not yours, who I employ and who I don't." I let a little rage slip and didn't care one bit.

"Yes, unfortunately, you _do_ have veto power there, but _I_ have the power to throw them in prison or deport them when they show up to work drunk or talk to someone they shouldn't."

I suppressed a growl, a regrettable side effect of spending too much time with Hellboy, and snapped, "You seem so sure about that, after only speaking with hem for half an hour."

"I don't have to, I know their type." Tanner was dancing around it but I knew what he was trying not to say aloud.

"Mr. Tanner, I have things to do this morning, so if you don't mind..." I indicated the door with a plate I held. _Get out before I say something that will get me court-martialled._

"Yah, alright, I have to go too. But just to give you a head's up, I _will_ be watching their progress, and if they fuck up in any way, _any way at all,_ or the deeper scans turn up something on our little mystery girl, I'll be holding you personally responsible."

"Good day Mr. Tanner."

The doors flew open as Tanner was leaving, almost hitting him in the face as they swung. My son strolled in with a smug grin when he saw Tanner dodge the oak.

"Watch it, monkey-boy!" Tanner spat, pushing roughly past him and out the door, barely missing my son flipping him the bird.

"Hellboy!" I admonished lightly. Really, I loved it, but someone had to be consistently nagging him.

"Sorry, Pop. Did he give you any trouble this time?"

I bent and sat slowly in the chair behind me, feeling my joints ache and mind flutter. _Just a moment's rest, please._

"Father?" Hellboy was at my side instantly, golden eyes alight with worry. I did my best to console him, I detested seeing him upset more than anything.

"I'm alright, just tired."

"Come on, why don't' you take a nap or something. Get your strength back." He helped me stand and kept by my side as he led me away towards my bedroom.

"Son, I believe my strength left me when I turned 80." I said with a weak chuckle.

"Not funny." He looked ready to lift and bear me the rest of the way but I never let him before and won't now. "You've had a hard couple of days and don't get enough rest to make up for it."

I didn't mention art of that was _his_ fault last night with the midnight invasion and babble-fest. I enjoyed them still and didn't want him to stop, although they disturbed my sleep. The company of my son was worth the sacrifice of a few hours of sleep.

He left me alone to rest and although I had dozens of projects to complete, I was thankful for the peace. I was physically and mentally exhausted and my trials would only worsen in the next few days, so all the better to rest now and be alert then.

* * *

Rielle:

Lavinia and I were separated after the general tour to see where we would be working, Lavinia to the kitchen to find her way around, and me to the hangar where all the vehicles were kept.

It didn't take long on my end, just the where's and the introductions to the 'incompetent' mechanics as Broom deemed them. They actually weren't a bad crowd, nice and normal, military trained and dumb as posts. The most time was spent in awe of all the vehicles and their state of disrepair. There was everything from the usual army jeeps and sleek government sedans to this really weird looking semi like thing that looked a bit like a shiny garbage truck. There was also the usual pile of huge army trucks like the one we were transported here in.

I wasn't sure about myself suddenly; could I handle all these by myself? Sure, I had the others to help but with the schedule Chan gave me and his expectations, I'd either drip dead from exhaustion in a week, or get my ass thrown in the local asylum after using Chan's head for a soup bowl and pulling out all my hair.

_Girl, you've seen and done worse than this, you can handle a few sparkplug replacements and engine overhauls._

I was led out of the hanger when the belly grumbles of the soldiers got deafening. _Garage, my big brown ass. _Chan gave me one last dirty look and told me to report in at 6:30 the next morning for debriefing, and slammed the door in my face, leaving me alone.

"Why yes, thank you, I'd love an escort to take me back to my room." I said to the still shuddering door. "Wanker."

I turned and tried to remember which building I came out of. The crappy thing with army bases is they all looked the same. _Hell with it, _I thought and tramped to the nearest one. Once inside I remembered where I was. _Yes! I rule!_

I took about ten steps before I was lost again. A nice calming breath later with eyes closed and I calmed myself to a point where rational thinking was possible. My memory couldn't be this bad! Christ!

I saw a sign that indicated this was where a lot of soldiers slept. _If I was feeling playful, woo could I have some fun in here._ Unfortunately I was bitchy.

"Where am I and how do I get to the mess hall?" _Screw it._

A breathe on my neck, "You don't have to yell, I'm standing right here."

* * *

Hellboy:

_The girl gets good air!_

She must have jumped a good foot or so straight up when I snuck up and whispered right in her ear. She had a good set of lungs on her too. After she screamed four doors opened and the heads of would be gallant knights popped out to see what the problem was. When the dragon only turned out to be little ol' me, they groaned and went back inside.

Rielle wasn't finished with me yet. "You... you... Arg!"

"Hehehe."

"Get stuffed."

"You're the second person to say that to me today."

"Gee I wonder why." She said dryly, "Now I _really_ need a smoke, you big wanker."

"I'd offer you one but all I got is cigars."

"Boo."

We fell in step naturally, her allowing me to lead her to the kitchen, and we just bullshitted the entire way, talking about nothing in particular. It was nice. She smelled a bit like motor oil.

"So..." she started. _Oh oh._

"So?"

"So where's Abe?" _Oh._

I relaxed, "Afraid he's gonna do a little probin'?" I poked her arm with my right index finger and waggled the brows a bit.

"Oh god. I can't believe you two."

"You think that's bad, now I'm calling him The Rammer."

She bust out laughing and I told her how the name came about. When I was done we were outside the kitchen listening to pots clang as the 'chefs' prepared supper for the troops.

"You're not still mad at him are ya?" It was an honest mistake on Abe's part and the way she avoided going near him earlier, I thought she was still a bit ticked.

She shook her head, "Nah, I'm not mad at him. He seems like a cool guy, just following orders I guess."

She poked her head in the kitchen and narrowly avoided getting run over by McCarthy and his last supper for me. _Oooh, burgers!_ Rielle's big brown eyes bugged a little as tray after tray of food was hauled out and down the hall.

"Please don't tell me all those are yours."

"Okay, I won't."

"Smart ass."

She risked another peep into the kitchen, this time avoiding catastrophe, and I noticed she was leaning a lot more weight on her injured foot.

"She's not in there. Oh shit."

"What?"

"We were supposed to make a quick stop at home o get some shit. Hope the little bitch didn't take off without me."

"You always swear this much?"

She gave me a big smile, "Only when I'm in a good mood." She spun, her dark hair fanning around her, "I'll see you later, Okay?"

"Alright, I'll tell Abe you'll be waiting with baited breath for a great big probing."

She nabbed a burger off one of the passing carts and chucked it at me. I caught it easily and took a big bite.

"Thank you."

"No, no. Thank _you_." She took another one and stuffed it in her pocket.

"Hey!" She was gone, again, before I could think of a decent rebuke! "Saucy wench."

"I heard that!" Came her laughing voice from down the hallway.

_Damn._

* * *

Lavinia:

Abe was the easiest to cook for, according to McCarthy. He liked the simple stuff. Only the rotten eggs were a problem, but he showed me where they were kept and a good way to protect myself from the stench, so that was alright.

Hellboy on the other hand... what a picky eater! There was a list of things he liked and a list he hated. McCarthy said he'd always tried to stick something Red hated in the food; just to trying to expand his menu, but it didn't work often. So I was to stick to the basics until I was trusted, Pancakes, burgers, chilli, nachos, and lots of meat. Then maybe try snaking something healthy in. McCarthy winked and smiled, showing me the cupboards where he kept all the healthy food.

"I've managed to sneak hemp seeds into his pancakes without him saying anything."

"Like he needs the extra protein, Chuck."

"Yes, but just to give you the idea."

I wished McCarthy wasn't leaving; I liked the old bugger and would miss his banter. Cooking for Hellboy alone would be like cooking for 6 or 7 guys, and with McCarthy's company it would have been a lot more fun.

After helping him flip a few dozen burgers and stocking the tray up with Red Bull, I was picked up by Broom and Ave. Seeing Abe out of the tank and suited so he could breathe was a surprise, and I gave him an earlier promised hug. He wasn't slimy or anything like I thought he would be. He even hugged back.

"Well, that just made my day, thank you Lavinia."

I embraced Professor Broom as well, as gently as I could because damn he looked brittle today. He smiled and the three of us left the kitchen, saying our goodbye's and good lucks to the retiring McCarthy, who, in a panic, dug out business cards to his new coffee shop and gave them to us.

"You come; I'll give you free coffee."

Walking down the halls with these tow men I couldn't help but laugh as I realized the team was Red, White and Blue. _Ha, bloody Americans, I wonder if they did that on purpose._

It was around suppertime now, so again we went to Broom's office to eat. Rielle ran in a few minutes later, finding the note left by Broom on our door. She said something about Hellboy finding her wandering about and led her back.

"Isn't he joining us?"

"Nah, he's got his supper with McCarthy, wanted to say be to him properly."

"He is very attached to his chefs." Broom said, "As long as they feed him well."

I got a pointed look and raised my hands in self-defence. "Hey, I've cooked for pow-wows, family reunions and Rummy tournaments. I can handle _him_."

* * *

Rielle:

Broom kept giving me funny looks throughout our supper so in a way I was glad it was over quickly. A couple of plain-dressed but obviously military guys got us and we left the base in one of those government sedans. On the way out I had to laugh at the base's weak cover. "Waste Management Services." HA!

"So where are we going, Ma'am?" The guy in the driver's seat asked, looking straight forward out the windshield. Me and Lavinia smiled mischievously and silently agreed to mess with them as much as possible.

We lead them to a 7-11, a strip club called 'Spread Em', and our blues pub before we were nice and showed them where we actually lived.

Broom told us during supper that tonight should be our last night of having to stay at the base, so we packed lightly. Well, Lavinia's version of light included to pairs of shoes and a gargantuan suitcase, but still. I just emptied and refilled my backpack.

"Ellie?"

"What?" We were in the bathroom stocking up on toiletries, away from the prying eyes of our guards.

"I have this sudden urge to hop out the window and make a run for the border."

I squeezed her shoulder and passed her mascara. "So do I, but... I don't know. I sort of don't want to just yet."

"Yah. But just in case, bring some pointy things?"

I obliged her and tossed my straight razor in my bag, then arm in arm we left our nice roach infested apartment. _Bastard Lying Exterminators._

"Oh shit."

"What?"

"My car's being delivered tomorrow night!" There was no way in hell I was letting those buttheads leave my baby on the street to get stripped or stolen.

"Well, Broom did say we didn't have to stay there tomorrow night, one of us _should_ be here. I'll be leaving right after I give Red his supper."

All the car talk piqued the interest of our driver, who asked make and model, and all the stats and modifications I'd made. I was tempted to keep it a secret but I had such pride in The Big Bastard that I couldn't keep my mouth shut about him. I told our driver all about it and we raved about cars all the way through McDonalds and back to the base.

That night we hung out a little more with out new soldier pals and went to bed early, as we both had to be up around six in the morning for duties. I beat Vinny to the top bunk this time, (actually, I threw all her stuff on the bottom bunk while she was in the shower and claimed the top as my own) and crashed almost immediately.

My dreams were horrible. They were the kind that wakes you up in a cold sweat, shaking, and eyes brimming with tears. And even though I was awake, the sounds and images kept flashing through and I couldn't make them stop, so I tried sleeping again.

Accompanying the gunfire were the screams of children and wails of mourning mothers. Heat and flame and blood and sand. And I was standing in the middle of it all, crimson in the dusk, hair and skin blasted with sand and bits of metal and wood, torn and ashamed and holding my weapon like it burned.

Every time I woke up I cried, pictures of brown eyes and fine cotton and landmines blinking in and out even after I'd washed my face clean of imaginary sand with icy water in the bathroom. I looked at the dark circles under my eyes in the cracked mirror and told myself _Never Again._


	8. Cigars and Motor Oil

_Disclaimer: if you don't know now, I ain't telling ya'. Just kidding. I only own Lavinia and Rielle._

_Note: Okay, I'm back in school right away, and writing like a mad bitch right now... So here's some plot development to tide you over. Thanks again for the feedback and questions, and a big hug to my new betas. THANKS!_

**Chapter Eight**

Lavinia:

When I woke up the next morning my head was pounding, and I knew I shouldn't have snuck those tequila shots when I was out of Rielle's sight with the soldier boys. I knew she knew already, it was sort of obvious from the breath, but I liked to pretend she was ignorant. I forgot I was on the bottom bunk so when I swung my legs over the edge I was surprised to find cold cement under my feet instead of free air. _The wench took the top bunk, I forgot about that. No more tequila with strange men._

I stood and tried to see if she was still up there. That would be weird; she was always up before I was but when all I saw was her bunched up blankets and sheets I knew she was already dressed and gone. I just hoped I didn't sleep in too late, from what McCarthy told me Hellboy didn't like it when his breakfast was late, and there was quite the pile of pancakes to make.

I rushed into the bathroom and found Rielle's things all over the small counter, toothpaste, brush, her usual minimal makeup... messy woman that she is, she forgot to pack all her stuff. I ran back out and grabbed her backpack and swept all her toiletries into it and tossed it with abandon back out.

After I was ready, I took off down the hall and found my way back to the kitchen. The chef's were all there, already cooking for the troops and tossing stuff around. It was like a dance, a spatula flying and a chef jumped to catch it, at the same time chucking an egg at another chef, who in turn does something else. It was graceful, for a busy and noisy kitchen. I grabbed an apron and jumped into the fray with joy.

Preparing Red's breakfast was a chore, very repetitive, mix, flip, put in the oven to keep warm, flip, mix etc... I was happy when I had a giant platter of pancakes and another piled high with ham, finished with the cooking part. Now I had to get all the condiments and wheel the stuff to his room, which I just realized I didn't know its location. _Ahhh, shit. _I looked around for help, but the other's were all busy still producing food for the drooling troops and couldn't take the time to point me in the right direction. _Thank god for the phone._

Yesterday, Broom was nice enough to give me his office number in case of emergency. I found the kitchen phone and punched in his number, feeling sort of stupid for having to interrupt his business for such a dumb question, but if I didn't, I'd just stand here all morning confused and Red would go hungry, and from what I've heard about him from the others, that wasn't a good thing. I knew from experience hungry males weren't pleasant to deal with, I could just imagine what Hellboy would be like, pissed off and belly growlin', and I shuddered. I wouldn't want him to be mad at me so early in our new relationship, food wise I mean.

Broom answered sounding a little groggy. "'Ello?"

I asked my question. He was nice enough to send someone to help me wheel the carts to Red's room and give me a map with a red pen path marked through to his room from the kitchen. I thanked him and hung up, and sat back to wait for the soldier.

My mind wandered to last night, when Rielle finally told me what happened here in the kitchen when she met Hellboy for real. It sounded ridiculously funny, but I didn't blame her for not telling me right away about it. I was crashed and probably would have bugged her all night for details and neither of us would have gotten any sleep.

From what she told me, he was a nice guy, had a clumsy streak, could make a kick ass ham sandwich, and guzzled beer like it was water. Sounded like the kind of guy that would fit right in on the Rez back home. _Let's hope he'll understand when his breakfast comes late this morning_.

The soldier guy came and helped me get the carts to Red's room, and I had to gawk when I saw the heavy metal door and the intricate procedure just to get the sucker open. "What the hell is this all about?" I asked my escort.

"He's escaped one too many times so the boss had this put in."

"Escaped? He's a prisoner?" That's just not right.

"No, no. He lives here, just that whenever he gets out he gets photographed or something and the government doesn't like having to explain him all the time. People are getting wise."

A crappy explanation but enough for now. I'd ask Hellboy myself once I got inside.

To my amazement, he was perky and very happy to see me. He was totally dressed already and watching TV, lounging on his bed. He looked even happier when he saw his breakfast. "Finally, someone who cooks these things right. McCarthy always left flour lumps, tasted just nasty."

"Morning to you too, big guy." I said in a haze, taking in the details of his room. Kitties everywhere, TV's and weight benches and magazines and even a computer were somehow stuffed in here, and it didn't smell or anything.

Red caught me staring. "Cool room, huh?"

"Ellie would be in Heaven here, especially with the kitties."

"A cat-lover, huh?"

I lifted the pancakes and set it on a table near his bed. "She had five before we moved here. We couldn't bring me with us for some dumb reason, but she wants to get a few when we're properly settled in."

"What about you?"

"I prefer dogs."

He shook his head at me like I was insane. I only now noticed the little sumo knot on the back of his head and found it sort of funny. I remembered what I was going to ask him suddenly. "Why do they keep you all locked up like this? It seems shitty."

Hellboy shook his head. "It is, but I can see it from Pop's perspective. They only lock it at night when I'm supposed to be sleeping these days. They let me run around freely during the day."

"But still, nobody has the right to lock someone up like this." It pissed me off and I knew it would piss Rielle off even more. We were both known to free trapped kitties when we spotted them in cat cages.

"My dad doesn't like it either, but when the higher ups threatened to close this place down he sort of gave in."

"Shitty. Well, see you in a few hours? I gotta go clean up my mess before the chef's beat me with spatulas."

With a mouth full of pancake and a pot of coffee in that huge stone hand of his, he nodded and said "See ya." I ignored the flying pancake mush because that's just gross, and left, wheeling a cart out with me.

Next stop was Abe's room, which I found out was attached to the opposite end of the giant fish tank in the Professor's office. Abe was equally pleased to see me and his breakfast from inside the tank. "Good Morning, Lavinia."

"Hey Abe. Where do you want this?"

He floated down and took a closer look at his breakfast. "Are those..."

"Yup. Anchovies and rotten eggs, and a side of different cheeses to try out. Tell me what you like and I can get more."

"Mmm. You're a blessing."

That's how the day went. I cooked, cleaned, fed the Big Red Guy and Abe the fish-boy, and did it all over again. I fed Hellboy more than I did Abe, as Abe was either on a diet or just didn't eat much at all. _No wonder he's so skinny._ _Someone has to feed that boy properly._ That was the rule at our place, me and Ellie's. You come in, you get fed. Same as back home.

By the time the day was over, I was dead on my feet. The chefs slowly got to know me over the day through shouted questions and good laughs, and it turned out they were a bunch of jokers so I felt at home. They even stuck a plastic spider in some dough I was mixing and I got revenge by putting super hot chilli powder in someone's grapefruit juice. We had a food fight at lunch and got yelled at by some guy in a uniform, so we cleaned up, but had another one closer to the end of the day.

I liked my job.

Back at my room I stripped down, showered, changed and waited for Ellie to come back so we could go home together. After half an hour I thought _Screw it_ and left without her, getting a ride home from the same guys who drove us around yesterday. Before I left, I packed her bag properly and left it on her bed with a note saying where I was and reassuring her about her car.

_Ellie, I'm outta here, see you at home_

_Don't worry about the Big Bastard, I got him taken care of._

I didn't want to miss the delivery, I knew how important the Big Bastard was to her, and I knew where her keys were kept so I could hide it in the secure underground parking garage back at the apartment. I assumed she wouldn't be too angry if I took him out for a test drive first, just to see how he survived the trip from Standing Buffalo to Fairfield. I'd keep him safe. _And get a little rush while I'm at it. Woo was that car a tasty bit of metal. _

* * *

Hellboy:

By the time my shows were all over and there was nothing but B-grade science fiction movies on TV, I was restless and itching to talk to Rielle again. Father had her so busy we didn't even run into each other all day, and after a depressing chat with Liz earlier tonight I found myself desperately in need of companionship. She wasn't coming back any time soon and I missed her terribly, so I reached for the next best thing right now.

After checking her room and finding it empty of everything but her backpack and a note, I started asking around. I brought the note and her bag with me, just in case I ran into her. Father told me they were going back home tonight so I thought she might want to save some time.

I talked to five people before I found one who knew where she was. According to him she'd started her job today, this morning after breakfast actually, and hadn't been seen since. Being that it was inching towards 11 pm I was curious why. I hoped they weren't working her too hard if they were making her stay this late. Chan was a known asshole and liked to overwork his crew.

I popped by the cafeteria to pick up a six back on my way to the garage. If she was as tired as I assumed she'd be maybe I could convince Chan to let her go for the night and she could hang out a bit before going home. If not I'd just have to sneak her out and deal with Chan in the morning.

The garage wasn't far, just a few buildings away and a jaunt outside. I loved sneaking past the guards to get out there, they never even saw me. For a big guy I could be sneaky if I really wanted to. Just had to watch my step and be sure I didn't trip over something.

It wasn't far to the garage and luckily there weren't any guards posted outside the main doors. _Shift change, gotta love it._ Made it much easier to get inside. Technically I could get into real deep shit for this but... I needed the chat. What were they going to do, put another lock on my bedroom door?

I was a little shocked to find the place empty of people. I couldn't even see Rielle from where I was standing. _Maybe that guy was full of shit. She's not in here._ Then I saw on the far side of the hangar a dim light, and something casting moving shadows.

Manoeuvring between cars and trucks I smelled cigarette smoke and knew it was her. Following the billowing smoke was the bass guitar of a Koko Taylor song, and I had to grin. A Smoker and a blues lover, no wonder we got along so well. She'd been complaining last night about not having a smoke in days, so she must have bummed a few off one of the guys.

"You piece of garbage cocksucker!"

I jumped at her very pissed off shriek and stepped out from behind a truck just in time to see Rielle throw a socket wrench across the room and kick the four foot tall red toolkit in front of her. "Motherfucker."

She continued her very unladylike cursing streak while climbing back up a stool. It looked like an engine problem or something, I didn't know enough to tell for sure, with one of the larger trucks. She literally had to climb up and perch under the hood. Tiny as she was, it was almost funny, her in comparison to the engine block she was working on.

She was decked out in black cover-alls and her hair was pulled back and tied with a red bandana and she had a mostly burned cigarette hanging out of one corner of her mouth. Luckily the gas tank was ten feet away and not leaking, surrounded by stuff that looked like kitty litter to soak up spills, so she wasn't at risk of blowing up, but still, I wanted to give her shit. Fumes Happen!

The little stereo nearby blasted "Hey Bartender" as Rielle muttered curse words under her breathe and wiped something off her face, leaving a black smear across her forehead.

"That's a good look for you." I spouted, enjoying her jump. She whacked her head on the hood and bellowed a little at me.

"Geez, Red, You're going to give me a heart attack or something." She tossed her smoke in the general direction of the table with the stereo and a half eaten sandwich, but missed completely.

"It's either that or you die from exhaustion, what the hell are you doing here so late?"

She climbed back down and found her smoke butt, placing it in an empty can. "Chan gave me one fuck of an evil schedule, and the others can't be here all the time, so that just leaves me and 60 vehicles with various problems that need to be fixed 'right fucking now!', in Chan's words. I really didn't have a choice." Her voice imitated Chan's almost exactly.

I wanted to punch Chan. "Well, its 11:30, and you've been here since..."

"Six thirty five this morning."

"Christ." Seventeen hours, hopefully peppered with enough breaks, at _least_ time to eat something. I watched her start to climb back up the stool, admired her tenacity, but wanted company bad enough to say, "Oh, no you don't. You're leaving here and getting drunk with me." I wrapped an arm around her waist, picked her light form off the stool and set her firmly on the ground again. She looked a bit surprised but she didn't smack me with a wrench like I expected. She stretched and I heard every bone in her back crack.

"Stubborn aren't you?" She said, dropping her tool back in the toolbox and going for the sink.

"Stubborn? Me? Who's been here for 17 hours?"

She splashed water at me but continued washing her hands of grease and fuel. "Yah yah. Whatever."

She stripped out of her coveralls and ripped the bandana off her head, but kept her hair in the ponytail. The silly broad didn't even have a jacket; all she had was a tiny tank-top and jeans. She was going to freeze.

"You've got a smear on your forehead." I dropped her bag on a nearby stool and pointed at her head with a grin.

"Shit." After she cleaned herself I walked off, pretending to lure her by shaking the beer cans. "Here Ellie... Here girl!"

"Quit it, fathead." She snarled, picking up her backpack and skimming the note. She smiled when she saw the Big Bastard part. I still wasn't sure what that part meant but I hoped it didn't mean me.

As she caught up to me I smacked her with the tip of my tail. "Fathead?"

"Want me to cut that thing off?" She swatted at it and missed.

A few minutes later we found ourselves on the roof of the Garage, just sitting there drinking and not saying a word. I wanted to talk, make some sort of noise, but it was nice to be quiet sometimes. Especially with the night being the way it was. Big fat yellow moon, starry sky, a few scattered white puffy clouds. It was peaceful. A little chilly but peaceful.

I lit up a fat stogie and lit Rielle's last cigarette, and we smoked together. It was a little weird to be so quiet, but I didn't want to be the first to say anything, although I was bursting with questions. The companionship was good enough. She relaxed enough to let her hair out of the ponytail and it blew around behind her, and the light from the tip of her cigarette lit up her sharp cheekbones, almost lending her a magical glow. I caught myself before my thoughts led elsewhere further, and gave myself a mental slap with my own tail. _Remember, Liz is still around. She may be overseas but she's still in your heart. And you barely know this kid. Smarten up dumbass._

Anyways, she was fine as a friend. One of these nights I actually want to get pissed with her, see where her beer limit is. I still haven't met anyone who can beat me, and this six pack wasn't nearly enough to get my light-headed, let alone wasted.

* * *

Rielle:

Red looked like he wanted to say something but just couldn't get it out. Every once in a while his face would screw up a bit and he'd take a deep breathe, but then just sigh and puff on his cigar or take a swig of that horrible beer he had. I was tempted to prompt him, but really, if he wanted to say or ask something, he could do it himself. Frankly I was too tired to prod anyone tonight. Anyways, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, and it was such a nice night it didn't matter whether we talked or not. I was happy enough staring at the moon and drinking with a friend.

As we sat and smoked in silence, gazing at the starlit sky and sipping at stolen beer, I pondered the strangeness of our meeting and the already significant changes my new friend had made to my life. As a child, I had been taught not to 'tolerate' people's differences and/or faults, but to accept them. Toleration was something you did while sitting next to a screaming child or listening to an ignorant person say ignorant things. Acceptance, on the other hand, was not so easy to grasp. When you accept someone, you do it fully and completely, no compromise.

The lesson now applied to its extreme showed me everything. I'd never know the full meaning of acceptance until now, with him, here on the roof of the garage where we accepted who each other was and was content with that. It felt wonderful, being fully accepted and appreciated so quickly, and by one so cool. I already felt like I never wanted to be separated from him, a comrade and kindred spirit. Maybe that was a little much but I couldn't go against my instinct, which told me to stick close, learn, listen and protect.

I tore my eyes away from the fat harvest moon and laid them on my new friend. One of the mechanics told me earlier his birthday was coming up fast, and I had wracked my brain all evening trying to think of something appropriate to give him. By now I owed him a case of beer but that seemed cheap and impersonal. Although I'd only known him for two days I wanted to give him something he'd squeal over, like I would someone who I cared deeply for, like Lavinia or Maurice. I'd probably have to ask Abe.

He was looking comfortable in his pale leather jacket, leaning back against the metal shingles and staring straight up. How he got the beer down his throat without choking was beyond me. The tip of his cigar glowed and lit up the dark edges of his jawbones and danced off his eyes. _May have a demonic appearance but he has the personality of a trucker. _I giggled at the thought.

"Oh great, now what?" I shook my head vehemently, no way was I going to tell him he reminded me of a trucker, I'd go flying off the roof. His eyes squinted a little, as if by staring hard enough he could see what I was thinking. Hopefully not, I didn't think I could handle two psychics, let alone one. I just smiled innocently and flicked my smoke off the edge of the roof. "Fine." He reluctantly gave me another beer and laid back again.

"Hey Red? Thanks for dragging me out of there. I might have stayed til 3 in the morning if you hadn't come along."

He grinned, "No problem kid. I wanted the company." His cigar was clamped down between his teeth, giving him a sort of mischievous look.

"What about Abe?"

Red laughed, "He can't handle his liquor... something about fish in general, they can't take beer."

The chill was starting to get to me and I shivered. "Knew I should have brought a jacket." Red started to remove his coat, all gentlemanly like, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Don't you dare, I don't want you to get sick just because you want to be manly."

"I _am_ manly. And I don't get sick." He said with his chin up.

"You sound like my friend Eagle. He used to walk around in shorts and a wife-beater, in the middle of a blizzard, and whenever someone confronted him about it he'd just say, 'Indians don't get cold'."

Red took his coat off anyways, despite my protests, and slung it over my shoulders. It was heavy and warm from his own body heat, and although I felt like the typical woman in distress, I gratefully wrapped it tighter around my shivering form. He looked pleased but tried to cover it. Why did I have the weird feeling we were on a date or something? I thanked him anyway and watched as he now curled up and hugged himself, obviously uncomfortably cold. _Damned men and their chivalrous ways. Doesn't matter skin colour, they're all goofs. _

"So, my father tells me you used to be a crackhead."

I spewed my beer all over the shingles in front of me. "WHAT?" Where the hell did that come from? _Well, at least now you know it isn't a 'date', huh kid,_ my evil brain sarcastically muttered as I stood. _His father? Oh, Broom. Huh. I can't believe Broom told him, and he asked me about it, out of nowhere! _"Not much for subtlety, are you?" I stared down at him, wiping the beer off my chin with the back of my hand.

Hellboy put both his hands up and apologized, "Shit, sorry. The 'no super-personal questions' thing, right? I was just curious."

Instead of stomping off like my first instinct told me, I slumped and sat back down next to him, pulling his warm jacket even tighter around me. "I don't want to talk about it Red, can we just leave it at that?"

I felt shitty again. I didn't want to lie to him, but I couldn't say what I wanted to say. So what? I thought keeping silent on the subject was better than an outright lie, silence kept it neutral, not confirming or denying. But I still felt like a bitch. Especially with Red sitting there, despite his demonic appearance, looking all innocent. _Shit._ To reassure him I just gave him a light punch in the arm and smiled at him. "Don't worry big guy, you didn't piss me off or anything." _Ow! Bloody Solid! _That hurt! Okay, no more punching the big red guy.

We ended the night on an uncomfortable note, not drunk but out of beer, unanswered questions and no smoke. We didn't say much after that. He helped me down off the roof and I didn't break my neck, so that was good. I felt like a goof just dangling haphazardly from one arm though, but the drop wasn't far. He simply jumped off, the showboat.

"Where to now?" He seemed perky again, but regretfully I had to leave, Lavinia was probably worried enough as it was, so I asked him how I could get a ride home. His shoulders sagged. "This way, there's a phone, we can call for a car."

We got all that done and he walked me through the buildings to the front doors, waiting with me for the car to show up. He still looked depressed and I wanted to cheer him up. "Red?"

"Yah?"

"Can I have a hug?"

That sure brightened him up. He looked like a little kid when he grinned, and he scooped me up into a huge bear hug. I was fairly hidden from view in his massive arms, and I couldn't help but notice he smelled like cologne and kittens. When he put me down I had to gasp for breathe and wait til I wasn't dizzy anymore. "Thanks."

"Welcome. Your car's here." He put his jacket back on and opened the door for me, but he didn't come out of the building, just stood there looking abandoned. _Needy little bugger isn't he?_

"See you tomorrow?"

He nodded and lit another cigar, "Tomorrow, kid."

* * *

Hellboy:

I watched her duck into the back seat of a black government sedan, roll down the window, and stick her tongue out at me and wave. What a goof. If it wasn't for her infectious weirdness, I would have had a really bad night there. And I really, really liked the hug part. Now I was in a much better mood, a lighter heart at least. I fairly skipped off down the halls again, but I checked first to see if anyone was watching. The guys didn't need any more ammo against me, especially Abe. He was looking for something to bug me about since I came up with The Rammer line.

The more I thought about it the happier I was I smacked headfirst into the fridge door two nights ago. I might not have ever met that strange girl, and gone without her fun sense of humour and wonderful companionship, and goofy smile. I wanted to smack myself for asking her about the whole crackhead thing, but she took it well enough. Frankly I thought she was going to stalk off and never talk to me again, but as usual she surprised me by not doing what I expected.

As I passed the closed doors of Father's office I heard someone yelling inside, sounded like Tanner on another rampage. I didn't even have to think about it, there was no way I was going to let that asshole yell at my father this late at night when he was already stressed beyond belief. I burst into the office with the full intention of hurling Tanner bodily out of here and maybe kicking him right in the ass for good measure.

But when I saw the large group of soldiers and suits, all holding guns and bursting for action, I stopped. My father stood in the middle of it all, looking glum but serious, holding a sheet of paper with someone's picture and some writing inked in black on it.

The entire group turned to me when I burst in, and when my father saw I was present he sighed. Something was definitely wrong here. He had the look of a man who had gotten extremely bad news.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Tanner bellowed, pointing in disdain towards me. I ignored him and pushed past all the men with guns and killer looks to get to my father.

He looked up at me and gave me a tight-lipped sympathetic smile. I glanced down at the papers he was holding and saw a familiar face with a list of facial features and last seen locations, and, surprisingly, a warning of Armed and Dangerous. My father must have seen something in my face; he gave me a quick pat on the shoulder.

"Do it." He said miserably to whoever was listening.

There was a chaotic rustling as weapons were stowed and the room emptied quickly, all ten soldiers with Tanner as the lead, yelling, "Time to round her up, boys."

"I'm sorry, my son."

Unexpected, unusual, and wanted by Interpol. _My life sucks._


	9. Bloody donut sprinkles

**_Morning guys! I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter, things have been so extremely busy around here that I don't have much time for writing.I AM continuing with this fiction, it's just not going to be updated as frequently. Thanks again to my betas who are getting me through the hardest chapter EVER right now. and to the Hellboy fangirls for research and laughs. _**

* * *

**Chapter Nine **

Rielle:

The ride home was peaceful in a way, just listening to the hum of the engine and the mumblings of the men in the front seat almost put me to sleep. There was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that kept bothering me, and so I kept awake, if not completely alert. Something was coming and I didn't know what.

Instead of focussing on that, I thought about the night with Red. An interesting dude, that's for sure. First shy, then blazingly blunt, then shy again. Funny how appearances still don't show who a person really was, and if you took someone who looked like Hellboy, and then studied his attitudes and personality, it really showed the truth. You never can tell about a person. I shook my head, thinking about his lost puppy look as I jumped into the car. Someone that big looking so smallâ€ made me smile in reflection. Add to that the beer drinking under the stars and his gentlemanly offering of his coat when I was cold. _Momma was right. _

Although the heater in the car was on I still shivered, and craved something warm to drink. Red's coat was a godsend tonight and I wished I had it back. I'd just have to compromise with a hot cup of coffee and a warm blanket when I got home. Maybe some cartoons or something to relax me. _Pushing 30 and you still watch cartoons, wiener._

I asked the drivers to pull over at the next coffee shop. It was a Dunkin Donuts, nothing even close to as good as ol' Tim Horton's, but it would do, as long as the coffee was fresh and strong. I asked if they wanted anything but they politely refused, smiling the whole while.

Inside I ordered the biggest fattest coffee they had, chiding myself internally for I knew I had to be up and back at the base in only a few hours, and the coffee would severely reduce my rest. _Ah, fuck it. I deserve a treat._ After a day like today, a simple coffee was barely reward enough.

_You got to curl up in the arms of someone who stood a foot and a half taller than you and had the temperature of a hot furnace, be happy, my_ mind blurted. True, he was better than any blankie and super sized java when it came to keeping warm. And he smelled like kittens, which still mystified me.

I leaned back against the counter and squinted against the harsh fluorescent lights as the java boy poured and sealed my cup, and watched the men in the car. They seemed to chat happily for a minute, and then something made them jump. My heart skipped a beat, but when they picked up the radio and appeared to listen a moment, I relaxed. _Just someone asking what's taking them so long._ I paid for my purchase and turned to walk out, but stopped dead when the two guys opened the car doors and stepped out, one drawing the sidearm I hadn't noticed concealed under his jacket. Their eyes burned holes through the glass right into me, and I knew they knew what I was.

_Ooooooooh, shit. _They knew, how'd they know so quickly?

My brain wrestled with my next move. Fight or flee? The men weren't giving me much time to think, already reaching for the door handle to get inside, and I had to wing it. I let my brain go on auto pilot, leaping forward and kicking the door shut, smashing the nose of one of the men in the process. The other backed off and lifted his weapon, drawing a bead on me, from the looks of it, my forehead. I learned two things from this. One, they definitely knew who I was, and two; they didn't care if they got me dead or alive. _They must have changed the profile since I last looked. _

Somehow I knew it was not Broom who had ordered my immediate execution; he just didn't seem like the type. I placed the blame for this bold move on Tanner, the evil bald 'suit' with horrible taste in ties. He would be the likely one to order such a tactic.

I ducked just in time to see the bullet punch through the glass and hit the pile of Dunkin' Donuts coffee mugs behind me, shattering them, sending pieces of ceramic glass flying around and on top of me. The clerk screamed girlishly and ran into the back room, leaving a trail of change behind him. I took his cue and followed, leaping over the counter in one smooth move and crouching behind it, dodging yet another two bullets that missed me but impacted the innocent donut racks, and I cringed as multicoloured sprinkles and dough showered me and the racks nearly landed on my head.

The other soldier must have recovered because he too drew his gun, and from what I could see through the glass display case, he was bleeding and angry. How betrayed they must have felt, what surprise they held for the girl they once thought was innocent and thirsty and only a minute later found out who she really was. Quite the change, really.

They busted through the now safe doors and one of them slipped a little on my spilled and forgotten coffee. "Son of a bitch." I tried not to laugh, the situation was NOT funny.

I found myself going into the past, digging for the person they were really looking for. I had tried to lose her a couple of years ago, and did a fine job until just now. But unfortunately, I needed that coldblooded bitch to help my ass out of here or I'd die at the hands of rookie soldiers. That would be one hell of a dishonour.

My blood ran cold, my mind froze and my heart clenched. _There she is. _My thought processes turned from my enjoying my previously happy evening to finding myself something that was either sharp or heavy to throw at my adversaries. I took another peek out from behind the counter and was shot at immediately. I wondered idly what that file held that made these two grown men so afraid of me. Could it hold everything I've done or were they just cowards in wolf skin?

"Come on out of there, Miss Cyr." The driver ordered, a slight tremor audible in his voice. He was afraid! Even so, it would take more than that to get me out from behind the counter, and most likely, blood would be shed if they got more persistent.

I checked behind me, just in case these guys already had reinforcements prepared and waiting, but the kitchen appeared clear. One last peep and the two men were almost right in front of me. How to get back into the kitchen without being immediately shot was a problem, but one simply had to think of close ranged weapons. What better weapon in a place such as this than boiling hot liquid.

As luck would have it the duel coffee brewer was within arms reach. I reached up and curled my fingers around the handle of the nearest pot, pulling it down and ignoring the pain of some wayward drops landing on the exposed flesh of my forearm. _Deal with pain later, escape comes first. _

I took a reluctant step back from the counter and spotted the tops of their heads, still maybe two feet from the counter. The morons still held the guns at arms length, and it would have been easy to reach up and disarm one of them, but I knew from experience trying to disarm two men almost double my weight was next to impossible without physical injury to myself. I remained confident in the coffee plan, though the temptation to grab one gun and shoot the other man with it was impractical and just wrong. I didn't want to cause death, just enough pain for me to get away unscathed. I'd had enough death to last five lifetimes.

I started to swing the pot before I rose, hoping they weren't to scared they'd shoot first before they saw what was coming. The coffee flew and hit both men in the face, the pot smashed against the man with the broken nose and I winced internally in sympathy. Poor guy would hate me now, but I'd rather that than what they probably had in store for me. Anyway, they shot first.

I sprinted into the kitchen dodging trays and ovens and the occasional dropped crushed donut, speeding towards the back door. They wouldn't recover anytime soon from the blinding coffee assault but I didn't want to take the chance. I spotted a phone and almost stopped to warn Lavinia, who was likely fast asleep and 'safe' in our apartment. I didn't want to imagine what would happen very soon to her, most likely a bust in and drag out, and I could imagine her fear and confusion. If I warned her first, maybe she could get out. I felt a pang of guilt when I thought of her unknown involvement in my other life and didn't want her to be in pain because of it.

I ran past the phone at the last second, deciding against calling her now. Maybe they weren't going to bust in on her too, maybe they'd leave her alone and just deal with me.

Ten minutes later I was long gone and far away from the donut shop. I didn't hear any sirens yet, I didn't know where exactly I was but I knew I was on my way back to the apartment, or at least heading in that direction. My arm burned a little and my lungs and feet hurt from the sudden exertion but again I kept the pain aside to be dealt with later. It was really the cold that got to me. In just a tank and jeans the mild winter froze my arms and neck, but I was glad it wasn't like home. I'd have been hypothermic by now from the arctic winds alone.

As I sped down a deserted alley, keeping an eye out for strange movements and an ear open for tell-tale signs of a hunt, my brain ate away at my new problem. Somehow they had found out, gotten through the screens and security measures and found out who I was. It wasn't so much the fact they did it that worried me, it was the reaction. Obviously, being what I was, they'd have to either kill or imprison me. Deportation was not an option as the Canadian government would just deny my existence. Frankly I was surprised my identification still held some ground in other countries. They didn't destroy all records, all evidence of my existence yet. _They sure as hell will now_ I thought, peering around a corner before taking it and running down the empty street. _They'll bury me so deep nobody would know I ever existed._

_I have to get to Lavinia, I have to get to a phone or something, I can't just leave her there to be captured and afraid. _But how to do it without putting myself at risk of being captured was beyond me.

* * *

Lavinia:

_I was in a field back home, playing with Ellie and Uncle Maurice and Kokum and that pretty white girl who just moved to the reserve. We were playing hide and seek in the tall yellow grass and it was funny because Uncle Maurice was so big you could see his butt sticking out of the grass, he was easy to find. Ellie and the little white girl, Marie I think her name was, were the hardest to find as they were very small. _

_I was it, and I had to find everyone. This time, even Maurice's bum wasn't visible, and I always caught him first. I couldn't see anything, just miles upon miles of wheat and trees and sky. I felt afraid suddenly, like I was all alone and there was something watching me. I yelled for Kokum but she didn't reply, and I didn't see any rustling grass besides the waves created by the wind. _

_Suddenly there was a loud crash and I looked towards the old broken tractor parked far away, but the sound was much closer than that, like it was right next to me. Then I felt someone's hand clamp down on my face but I couldn't see who it was, just felt its impression over my mouth and nose and I tried to scream but I couldn't find the breath._

I woke up with a start, still feeling the hand over my mouth and realizing finally that it was real. This time I did scream, struggle, fought until the hand released me and my mouth was filled with its blood. _If all else fails, Bite_. Kokum's words with her happy grin urged me out of bed and running out the bedroom door, the person I bit storming after me with a scream. _This has got to be a nightmare._

Out in the hall, narrowly missing the table I had placed there earlier in mid-move frenzy, I smacked dead into another person. My heartbeat sped up so fast I thought it would bust out of my chest, and then I noticed he held a huge fucking gun. There were others with him as well, and they spun me around, kicked me in the spine and knocked me to the floor.

"Stay down bitch!" The one I bit, I could tell because his blood soaked through my shirt in seconds, leaving a warm moist spot, and he put his knee between my shoulders and pressed down hard. I thought my back would break under the pressure.

"What the fuck's going on? Where's Ellie? ELLIE!" I screamed desperately.

"Shut the fuck up." The slap on the back of my head was hard and I hit my face on the hardwood. It made me a little dizzy, but the remnants of sleep were long gone now and I was able to think sort of straight.

I listened to the strange men talk about 'the other one' and a few of them took off down the hall and into some of the other rooms, in search of Ellie.

The one on my back stayed put while someone else bandaged his hand. I kept silent; I didn't want to be slapped again. Anyway, if I moved, all that guy would have to do is press a little harder on my spine and I'd be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.

I heard things breaking in the other rooms and I wanted to tell them to stop, but again, fear of being beaten down held me back. I've seen what soldiers do to people, and Ellie's told me a little from her protest days, but I really didn't want to find out for myself what it felt like.

When the soldiers were satisfied Ellie wasn't around, the one I bit grabbed a handful of my braided hair and lifted me up one handed. The roots tore out and I screamed and struggled a little more, but when I felt cold steel rub against my temple I quietened down. The front door slammed as someone new arrived; a few soldiers saluted and said 'Sir'.

"Who the" I didn't even finish asking my questionâ€ I took one look at the new arrival and anger flared in me. Tanner, the fucking bastard, what right does he have to do this?

He took one derisive look at me and my bloody clothes and snorted. "Is this hers?"

The bitten soldier held up his hand and said, "Only some of it."

Tanner laughed. "Can't even keep one little Indian girl under control. What a shame to the US military you are, Parker."

The voice of parker was grainy and mad as he submitted to Tanner's insult, "Yes, sir."

_Pussy!_ My mind shouted in mockery. I almost said it aloud but changed my mind when I saw the evil glee in Tanner's eye as he stepped up and stared evenly into my eyes. He was enjoying this shit, leaving me all confused and beaten like this.

"So, it looks like your girlfriend isn't here. Where is she?" He asked calmly, although I knew from the glint in his eyes that he was anything but.

"I don't know, she hasn't come home yet from work. What the fuck do you want with her?" The slap came before I knew what happened, his smooth palm striking my cheek with a harsh sting. That just pissed me off more. "Slapping me around isn't going to help you know. Can't beat information out of someone who doesn't know anything." Rielle must have done something bad, but I couldn't help my instinct to protect my friend. And I really couldn't help my big mouth which is known for getting the both of us into trouble.

Tanner didn't seem pleased with my answers. _Tough shit, asshole._ Instead of getting another slap he nodded at the soldier behind him and the sudden flurry of movement made me a little dizzy. Parker began to pull at my hair again, dragging me towards the front door. I began to struggle even though I knew it was a losing battle, but Parker put a quick end to that with another kick to my back, landing me on the floor again.

"Quit Sandbagging, get up."

"Asshole, you kicked me, I'm not fucking 'sandbagging', whatever that means."

"Get that bitch up and lets get out of here, we still have the other to find. We'll get information out of her later." Tanner snapped, graciously holding the door open for me and Parker to go through after he roughly pulled me off the floor again. Parker kept one hand around my braid and the other at the base of my spine, almost bending me backwards. Funnily enough they didn't bother to cuff me or restrain me in any way, and the temptation to kick and punch and break free was nearly irresistible. But in the end I thought going quietly was the wiser choice for now. _Find out what's going on, there's got to me some misunderstanding, the Professor will help me, I know it. Where's Ellie?_

* * *

Bruttenholm:

I was waiting with Abe near the back entrance when the first team returned. Uncomfortable silence lingered between us after our quick argument over what should have been done in the area of prevention, then the door busted inwards, breaking the 'peace'. Immediately following the crash came Lavinia's high wailing voice as the man behind her shoved her forward, keeping a tight hold on her hair and the cuffs holding her arms twisted at her back. She was kicking and screaming, and I didn't have to be psychic to tell she was frightened beyond belief. My paternal instinct screamed for me to jump in and do something to sooth her. Previously I had tried to tell Tanner that she didn't have any knowledge of Rielle's past, but the dim-witted bureaucrat ignored me and sent an entire team of soldiers to pick her up. What a way to end the evening.

As Lavinia, cuffed and bleeding, was dragged past me and Abraham, her teary black eyes pleaded with me to help her, and I felt my heart wrench in sympathy to her plight. The poor innocent girl! The unnecessary grip on her hair by the bleeding man behind her both angered and amused me. She fought back well, at least, and both me and Abe later admitted to admiring her spunk. She didn't go quietly at least.

Everyone was present, lingering past their scheduled rest time to see what all the chaos was about. Hellboy, on the other hand, was not to be seen. He'd disappeared after the team initially left and neither I nor Abraham had seen him since. I asked Abe if he knew where my son was, but he only replied "Pacing in his room, in all likelihood." I couldn't see his eyes behind the protective goggles but his stance told me he was also worried about my son. Hellboy's reaction to seeing Rielle's photo on a Wanted sign from Interpol indicated pure shock, and then heâ€ disappeared within himself and left the room. Abe wasn't sure what to tell me but from what he picked up from my retreating son, his mind went completely blank after the soldiers left on their mission.

I stopped Tanner as he tried to pass with a hand. Abe kept close, likely looking for answers in places I couldn't. In that way I was a little jealous of his powers, but in others, I felt sorry for him. Seeing the things he'd seen would have in all probability driven me insane. But in this instance I was just happy he was around.

Tanner looked at least partially satisfied, the gleam in his blue eyes visibly malicious. "What do you want, Broom?"

_Back to last name basis, are we? Good. _"What word have you received of Rielle's location and status?"

"_Agent Cyr_ has not been taken into custody yet, and from that last communication from the street, she escaped from the donut shop without injury, but in the process temporarily blinded two of our men, and broke one of their noses with a door..." Tanner seemed displeased with this small hurdle.

I silently cheered. For some unknown reason, despite the information her records showed me of her past, I wanted her to escape, to be gone without injury. Anything was better than the slow torture and interrogation that Tanner was sure to bestow upon her, and I liked her enough already to wish her all the luck in the world. I couldn't judge her completely as I had not received all the facts.

Abe must have heard that thought flutter through my mind, as his head turned quickly to study me. _Not now, Abe._ I knew he was itching to read me, gauge my reactions, but again I wouldn't let him without permission, and he knew it and respected it.

Tanner on the other hand, I gave full permission to Abe to mind-rape all he pleased and told him to stick close while I checked on my son. I had a feeling it would be a while before we heard any news regarding Rielle's position. If her record was accurate, she could disappear for months at a time if she really needed to, and right now, with half of this base on her scent, disappearing might be a great idea.

I had almost made it to my son's room and the Alarms went off again, blaring red lights flashing down the hallways and the siren wailing its piercing cry, enough to wake the dead if there were such things here. The once empty hallways suddenly erupted with teaming life, men and women running out of their rooms and towards the back doors, some holding weapons. Even my son stuck his head out of his room to see what all the commotion was about, and spotted me.

"Pop?"

I beckoned to him and he joined me, and together we hurried as quickly we I could to get there before Tanner did, but at my age I walked at a snail's pace in comparison to my boy. We kept silent as we made our way down the narrow hallways, my son using himself as a sort of shield to keep me safe from a trampling. Abe caught up to us halfway there and walked beside me as an escort, blatant curiosity plain on his normally unreadable features.

As we neared the back entrance again, I could hear yelling and the sound of heavy objects crashing into the walls. We rounded the corner and saw a virtual pandemonium, limbs flying and howls of pain and people running amok with weapons drawn. I'd never seen such a vulgar display of panic in my lifetime, and, from what I could see, resulting from one small girl.

The mixed cries of "Hold her!" and "Where's the doctor?" added to the general destructive energy of the room made me back off a few steps, just to avoid injury to myself and my companion. Abe himself looked shocked. He kept a firm grip on my arm, not reading, but just for comfort. In the fury I saw a flash of red hair and someone's bloody face distorted in pain. The face turned out to be a soldier, stumbling a moment later away from the battle with a wad of cloth attached to his nose. _Broke another nose, did you?_

My son cringed when he heard a female scream and the mass of bodies suddenly exploded outwards, people flying and impacting on the walls, leaving only five people in the middle, four male soldiers and the struggling girl in the middle. His face was impassive otherwise, betraying nothing. He just watched as a doctor flew into the middle of the pile on the floor with a needle in his hand and the mass finally moved away, finally leaving young Rielle lying unconscious and bleeding amidst staring spectators. Only then did his golden eyes show anything.


	10. Lady Fingers

_Thank you guys for being so patient with me. I just recently started school and was working... 16 hour days left little time to write. Plus this one was just hard. I could have gone further but I didn't want to be too, well, gross. My beta thinks it's gross so i fyou have a weak stomach... ummm, hell, suck it up and read it any way. LOL_

_I got laid off my job two days ago, shitty deal, but gotta look at the good side, I'm gonna be writing more. :)_

_ps: the thoughts get a little confusing, I put thoughts of others_ **In bold. :)**

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**Chapter Ten**

Rielle:

_Is she securely bound?_

_Uh huh._

_So, who gets first crack at her when she wakes up?_

_Flip you for it._

The voices and the obvious subject of the conversation brought me to alertness. The anaesthetic still coursing through my veins kept my body groggy and weak, but it had lost it's affect on my mind, which now pulsed with rage and hatred for the people who now had me imprisoned and tied, nearly naked, to a chair. I could feel the cold steel through my thin cotton underwear and pressing against my bare back and legs. My hands were cuffed to the arms, not behind my back like they usually would do.

With my eyes closed I surveyed the room with other senses. Two males from the sounds of it, and although they were blurred and distorted, I could tell one of them was Tanner, resident SOB, but I had no clue who the second person was. Despite this lack of knowledge I swore on my life he would be the recipient of screaming agony if I got out of these cuffs.

"Her pulse just jumped, I think she's awake now, gentlemen." A third, new and electronic voice, presumably a doctor, maybe even the one who gave me the needle in the first place, informed the others of my newly awakened status. I heard shuffling and decided that opening my eyes wouldn't hurt any; at least I could get a look around.

The room I was stuck in was cold, the stone walls lit dimly with those horrible halogen lights and empty besides the chair I was currently seated on, a metal table with some instruments and a jug sitting to my left. Then, of course, the two men present. By all appearances the doctor was on the other side of the 4 by 8 foot one way mirror in front of me, safely away from any danger, monitoring my pulse and other life signs. By my reflection I could tell I was injured, but not badly enough to warrant medical attention, just a cut or two. The two men, Tanner and another one, stood close by, staring down at my limp and bloody form. Tanner had a look of satisfaction and expectancy and his jaw twitched when our eyes met. The other I ignored for the time being, focussing on the one I thought posed the most danger.

_If I was loose, it would be so easy just to reach up and snap his neck. Move a little to the left and snap the other guy's neck. Use the chair to smash the window and take care of the doctor. Slip away._

But no, I couldn't. Not with my body still humming from the anaesthetic and sore from the multiple beatings. Not until I could get these cuffs off. Not until I could think straight.

Tanner got my attention again by giving me a light slap across the face, not enough to turn me but enough to sting. He got the Look of Death in return, but I scolded myself for that. I schooled myself to calmness and distance. Anything else could get me killed.

Tanner noticed my reaction and smiled evilly. "There's my girl. How are you feeling Agent Cyr?"

_Call me 'your girl' one more time and I'll feel like ripping you to shreds, bitch. _Calm.

Tanner circled around my chair, and I kept my eyes on his rotund form as far as I could, still completely ignoring his companion. I felt his thigh brush my shoulder as he came into view again, blatantly enjoying the view. _Calm. _"You gave us quite the fight earlier, little girl. I just hope you have some left; I don't want you to break too quickly. I enjoy this part of the procedure the most."

_A torture lover. Wonderful. Bring it on, you pussy. _

His smile fell when I grinned; just give him a little scare. Sure, I have no fear of torture and interrogation, but it didn't mean I liked it. Just a nice tactic to throw him off balance, instil doubt.

He shook himself a little, leaned downwards and placed his hands almost gently over my bound wrists, his face a mere two inches away from my own. I saw an opportunity. _Amateur. _"Now, before we get to our little interview, I'd like..." with a sudden snap I put all my strength into butting him in the face with my own forehead. It hurt like a bitch but it was worth it for the wailing pain I heard emit from Tanner and his bloody mouth. I could feel the indent of his teeth on my scalp and idly wondered if he'd lost a tooth, praying he did.

For a moment, while Tanner still screamed like a baby, I admired the contrast of his dark blood against his pale skin, the lighting making the blood appear black. It really was very pretty.

_Smack!_

The second man kicked at me, hitting me in the chest full on, the force knocking my chair backwards and my head bounced heavily off the floor, leaving me even dizzier than before. My breath was knocked out of me and I was left heaving on the floor as the second man, I'll call him Lab Coat, went to Tanner's assistance. Now staring at the light above me I tried not to be afraid. Fear made you weak, and I couldn't afford any sort of weakness right now.

They left me there on the floor for a few minutes, Tanner apparently getting medical attention from yet another doctor, leaving Lab Coat to discuss things with the doctor on the other side of the mirror. Why he bothered hiding beyond the glass was a mystery to me, we all knew he was there. So while they were in there conversing I rested a little more, closed my eyes and breathed deep, and prepared myself for a long, painful ride.

* * *

Abraham: 

When I knocked gently on the door I tried to ignore the screams on the other side. I decided against actually going into the chamber where they held young Rielle and opted instead to cower in the back behind the mirror. Although I wanted to see what was going on inside her head I didn't think Tanner would let me do a contact reading, at least not before he could get a crack at her, so instead I wanted to try through the glass once again. Possibly she'd be more willing to share with me than with Tanner, and according to Professor Broom, that would be more likely, as he didn't need me to tell him she despised Tanner thoroughly.

We had discussed it thoroughly before Broom agreed that I should be the one to go into the 'torture chamber' as he called it. He was willing to go in as well, but I knew of his disgust and hatred of any form of pain. I didn't like it either but I felt a little protective of this little old man and his values, and did not want to expose him to such a horrible ordeal unless completely necessary. Anyways, I've seen worse. So I denied him the unpleasantness and went in alone.

Dr. Robbins let me in with a grimace and a clipped greeting of "Good morning, Dr. Sapien." He never liked me much; I knew the gills threw him off a bit. I breathed in deep to flex them, just to make him shudder, and took satisfaction when his frown deepened. _Ha! _I ignored his feelings of dread and disgust, cleansing my own mind for the job ahead.

Moving further into the room I immediately spotted Rielle, knocked onto the floor, half naked, cuffed to a chair. Ackland, who had a love of old military style interrogation which included the pliers and electroshock, was there also. Tanner was off to the side getting medical attention for... _hahaha_... a broken nose. _Serves him right. _I was glad it wasn't Rielle screaming when I first entered, I honestly don't think I could have looked, but now I wanted to laugh out loud realizing that the little girl screams came from a grown man. _I must tell Red, he'll have a field day with this._

I couldn't see much from this angle but was relieved to see her uninjured... _Yet._ There was yet another cut on her head and a bit of bruising, but that was it. Everything else was old scar tissue. I knew she was never a crack-head but I couldn't help but look for track marks on her arms, and was pleased not to find them there. Even her heartbeat was steady and normal according to the machines in front of me. I placed a hand on the glass, wanting to feel her out a bit, make sure there wasn't any mental damage. The sudden rush of thoughts slammed into me and I had to restrain myself from jumping back.

_**This Is So Uncomfortable My Head Hurts Shit I Hope That Hurt You Prick Damn It I Hope Lavinia's Alright When Are They Going To Sit Me Back Up All The Blood's Rushin' To My Head Hey Waitaminute Someone's In Here With Me... GET OUT!**_

Astonishingly enough she did it again! The walls came back up and I was forcibly pushed back out of her mind. The mental willpower needed to shove me away was high but this girl did it easily, almost without effort it seemed. I'd only encountered two people who were able to achieve such a feat and it took years of psychological training... it intrigued me.

Ackland was on the move again, and I panicked. He didn't look very happy, face red and hands shaking, and I didn't even have to strain to read his hatred for the girl on the floor. He reached down and lifted her chair back up roughly enough to make Rielle's teeth knock together audibly; I could hear it from my standpoint and inwardly flinched. I could get a better view of her condition now though, and I almost regretted it. She was more bruised than I initially thought, and as a doctor, I was fascinated by the long puckered scar that ran up from just above her panty line up between her breasts, like she had been previously gutted. The line was a few years old, but still an angry red in the more sensitive areas. If I had a chance to I wanted to ask her about it. It would make for a horrific tale in all likelihood but an interesting one.

Ackland paid no heed to her scars; instead he retightened the cuffs on her wrists and feet, keeping himself out of biting range. I connected to him through the mirror and wanted very badly to leave the room afterward, just to get away from the poison I found in there. A War Veteran he was, one that had been through his fair share of pain and death and had the knack of inflicting misery on others. Jumbled recollections of torture and interrogation of Cambodian soldiers and gun-battles in swamps and glee that he would be allowed to re-enact some of his old treasured memories with this frail looking woman who he thought sort of looked like a woman he raped in the 70's. He looked at the instruments on the nearby table with a sort of sick love, remembering a time when he broke 7 fingers, burned and almost drowned the victim before she broke, a record for him... that person died not too long afterwards but Ackland reluctantly gave that woman her props for putting up a fight.

_Okay, that's enough of that! _I thought as I pulled out... where did Tanner find this person and how could he still be an honoured man within the military? And free to do what he pleased when interrogating a prisoner? _Try her again try her again! _

Rielle's face was unchanged, slack and bored-looking, even when Ackland stroked the pliers and tested their weight in his large calloused hand. Desperate, I reached out again, and, finding her defences back down again, prodded very gently at her. _Let me in._

* * *

Rielle: 

_Oooooooooooooh shit, not the pliers. I HATE the pliers. Skippin' the questioning and going right for the fingers, are we?_

Lab Coat grinned, obviously expecting my eyes to widen or some other sign that I was afraid. But he didn't know me all that well.

_**Let Me In.**_

I felt a presence, knew he was nearby. Abe.

_**Please.**_

So that's what that was! I'd felt a strange thing in my head, almost a prod with a thin finger, while I was still knocked on my back. I glanced at the mirror in front of me, not knowing exactly where he was but wishing I could see him all the same. He'd be a much more pleasant companion than Mr. Lab Coat.

_Speaking of which... _

"I haven't interrogated a woman in almost 20 years... so; make this fun for me, will you?" Lab Coat placed my index finger in the pliers and very lightly squeezed, as if he thought I didn't know what he meant to do. The old Slow Squeeze and Snap technique, I called it. I sighed impatiently.

"We both know you're a spy, what I'm wondering is, why are you here?" He leaned in dangerously close, caught himself and backed off little, (_drat!),_ all the while slowly squeezing my finger with the pliers. It wasn't too painful as of yet but I knew damned well it would hurt plenty soon enough. Lab Coat was itching to squeeze...

_**Let Me In!**_

_FUCK OFF!_

I heard a thump behind the mirror, and even Lab Coat broke eye contact with me and glanced over his shoulder at the still shuddering glass. _Oops, didn't mean to push so hard._

_**S'alright.**_

_Abe? Get outta here! I'm busy._

Abe's voice sounded strange out of the tank but even weirder reflecting in my own brain. I thought he could read minds, not wander around and leave messages!

Lab Coat,

_**His Name Is Ackland, Rielle**._

_Fine. _Ackland's focus was back on me and he repeated his question with an accent of pain. "Why are you here?"

I held in a scream as he finally put a lot of pressure on my finger, I could feel the skin break and the heat as the blood pooled at the tip. _Be strong, be strong, ignore the pain, just leave, go numb, relax, you've felt worse than this, remember? What's a little finger pressin' in comparison...be silent, be still._

* * *

Abraham: 

Ackland was putting pressure on the handle, slowly wringing Rielle's finger until it turned bright red, and I had the absurd vision of the tip actually popping like a boil. Outwardly she showed no reaction but inside, she was screaming, ranting, afraid. Inside her head was complete turmoil, her mind was almost completely open for me to explore, and I was hit with a barrage of memories, a strobe effect of imagery. I felt the sun burn my eyes and the sand blast my skin, heard the shrieking winds. I dug deeper and found myself in a little room similar to this one, a little darker, definitely danker, but warm.

When Rielle opened her eyes again I was knocked out of her head. I had absolutely no control of what I saw in there or how long I could remain, it seemed Rielle had all the power when it came to her own mind. Even if it _was_ scattered and hectic, she could still boot me out or show me what she wanted.

Ackland pressed even harder, and bent her finger backwards, again asking that stupid question. And again Rielle kept silent outside but screamed inside.

As the thin bones in her finger crumbled under the pressure, I was hit with strobe-images of that room again, stone walls and a mildew scent, full of men and something that emitted an electrical hum. The men were blurry, like the eyes I was looking out from brimmed with unshed tears. Their owner didn't scream then and she didn't scream now.

_What the hell?_

Visibly, she barely even flinched when the bone snapped and the blood flowed. It appeared more of a physical habit reaction than a jolt of pain. I think Ackland was angered by her lack of howling and detached the bloody pliers from her mashed finger. I could hear the wet crunch from behind the mirror.

With my eyes open like this I was seeing double, through the eyes of the victim plus through my own. I never expected to feel the ghost of pain I felt in my own fingers, the bruising pain in my own face. This was a strange side-effect of her inviting me to partial access, one I've felt before but never in the realm of torture. Again I wondered where she learned such ability.

Ackland huffed and dropped the gore-spattered tool back on the little metal table and backed off a couple of feet, observing his prey. He was as confused as I was.

_Enough. _I thought, feeling nauseous from all the blood and the smells and the scenery. _I will not let this happen any longer._

Ackland smacked her across the face to get her attention. It worked. Rielle's eyes snapped open and glinted with such rage and hatred that it almost knocked me back. Ackland didn't react at all.

"Fine. You can act tough all you want, but I'm not going to stop this until you say something." Ackland picked up what appeared to be a bottle opener. _Changed his mind from mashing the fingers to just breaking them, the sick SOB. _

"Something." Rielle growled under her breathe.

I didn't laugh. Sarcasm in a situation like this wasn't very smart, and likely to anger Ackland even more. A neutral interrogator was less likely to take things personally, an angry one would make the pain last longer than he or she should. And from what I read from Ackland's warped psyche, he would enjoy making her bleed for as long as it took, or longer.

Ackland didn't hesitate to loop the bottle opener around her middle finger and snap it, but this time Rielle was not prepared for it. Her sudden scream reverberated off the stone walls, through the mirror and cut deeply into my conscience. _Stop this NOW!_

There was barely any blood this time, only a cut from where the opener pierced her skin, a thin line of crimson staining her olive skin. I wanted to run from the room, break down the other door and spirit the girl away from all this hell, but the little red cut held me, I stared at it for what seemed like hours.

"Dr. Sapien?"

I forgot there was another doctor in the same room with me. I snapped out of it immediately, turned and grabbed the man by the lapels and shook him soundly. "Stop this, right...fucking... NOW." I rarely cursed but this just showed how affected I was by seeing pointless torture. Rielle would never speak, that much was clear. One didn't have to be psychic to see it either.

Dr. Robbins' was so afraid, so surprised that someone like me, a supposed pacifist, just more or less threatened him and physically attacked him. I felt his fear and grinned inside once again. Sometimes fear could be useful. Too bad Hellboy wasn't here as well; the poor man would have urinated himself.

"I can't do anything! I just monitor her life signs, that's it!"

"Well, where did they take Tanner?"

"Medical Center, but he won't do anything either!"

_I guess I have to deal with Ackland directly._ I wanted to get Broom and make him do something about this, stop it, but to me it felt like running to daddy to tattle on someone. I'd have to do this myself.

I detached my hands from Dr.Robbins' lab coat and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind me, simultaneously ignoring the sound of a snap of yet another finger, probably the ring-finger. This time I was not trying to feel her pain, purposely staying out of her head and blocking off any radiating emotion, knowing it would just blur my own purpose and make me hesitate. Hesitation now would just make me think too hard about what I was about to do.

* * *

Rielle: 

Three out of five. I wondered if he was going to go for the pinkie or the thumb next as I watched him shake a little blood off of the bottle opener. I forgot about those things, better than the pliers for breakage but not so good for crushing. I guess I pissed him off.

I regretted screaming earlier. Ackland caught me off guard and now I was having difficulty detaching myself again. I could no longer feel Abe rooting around in my brain so I didn't have anything else to focus on but the pain. My hand throbbed and I felt nauseous. I felt weak. _Can't believe I almost broke after only three fingers, I've lost my touch. _At least the remnants of the anaesthetic dulled the pain a smidgeon.

Ackland's face was beaded with sweat and his eyes were bloodshot, but he seemed to be enjoying what he was doing from his wide grin. I think he was a little put off by my lack of reaction a few minutes ago but he got his energy and will back after I screamed. I'd have to throw him off again.

Before I could do anything and before he could loop the opener around any other extremities, the door slammed open with a bang and Ackland jumped.

_Red?_ I couldn't see around Ackland's bulk, his body blocked my view of the door, but I assumed it was Hellboy from the strength behind the slam.

"Back off, Ackland." _Abe! Waitaminute, Abe?_

Ackland backed away a little and turned to face Abe full on. His stance didn't indicate aggression but he was obviously pissed about the interruption in his playtime. I couldn't see his face but his shoulders were straight and back curved like he was trying to puff out his already fat chest, trying to be a manly man in front of someone who appeared thin and weak.

He dropped the opener on the metal table and wiped his hands off with a rag, the crimson staining the pure white cloth. "Dr. Sapien." He said in greeting, stepping forward so I could now see my friend, _funny, he's a friend now when you avoided him so much not 24 hours ago, _and he put out a hand as if he expected Abe to shake with him.

Like I thought Abe didn't take it, instead stepped around him and stood in front of me. I'd never seen him out of his tank before. His movements were smooth and graceful, like a dancer, but he also had the musculature of a warrior and a couple of scars to prove it. The breathing apparatus around his neck and the goggles almost gave him a ninja look, actually. I was impressed.

He kneeled in front of me, tilting his head to one side, and I felt embarrassed for a moment, sitting here bloody and bruised in my gitch. His scrutiny went further than physical, but not much, not the full permissive invasion as earlier. I looked into his dark eyes and smiled weakly. His intentions were not obvious but I had my hopes.

Honestly, I couldn't expect much. I had betrayed them after they treated me and Lavinia so well, I had kept secrets and I had injured quite a few people when they brought me in. Why should he help me when I wasn't honest with them like I promised?

"May I?" Said Abe, lifting one hand to my face, but not close enough to touch yet. He was asking permission again. I felt even shittier that he kept his word when I wouldn't keep mine. But, I wasn't going to be dumb about this. I was not going to let him run around and seek answers in my brain and then just walk off and leave me here with this psychopath torturer.

"I wouldn't do that."

_Goddamned mind readers!_

Ackland groaned. "Dr. Sapien, what are you trying to pull?"

Abe frowned, doing his best to wink at me before facing Ackland once again. "I'm not trying to _pull_ anything, Ackland. I am merely checking on the patient's mental status. Do you have a problem with that?"

Ackland wiped his sweaty brow with the same bloody rag he cleaned his hands off with and nodded. "Yeah, I do have a problem with that. Tanner said not to allow any of you freaks in here. He said you people have a weak spot for this woman." Ackland said this in a prissy voice, derisive of their so called 'feelings' for me. He continued in an authoritative tone, "If you want to 'monitor her status' I suggest you go check the equipment in the other room."

_Call him a freak again asshole and I'll put your head through the wall. Prick. _

Abe must have heard that because he looked over his shoulder and smiled. I huffed a bit. I couldn't help but be defensive! I liked this bunch, I didn't like Ackland.

"Well, I'm sorry to have to pull rank on you, but as your superior, I advise you to watch your tone and your words."

"Pull rank? Please. You may outrank me but when it comes down to it, Tanner's the boss, and I got my orders directly from him." Ackland found something on the table that piqued his interest and fondled it a little.

"Dr. Broom actually outranks Tanner, and I got MY orders from him to bring Agent Cyr out for a chat."

Somehow I had the feeling Abe just lyed his little blue bum off with that one.

"A chat? A fucking Chat? Are you people insane? She'll just escape." His voice rose to an annoyingly high pitch when he said 'insane'. Wiener.

"Oh, I doubt it." Abe said, once again looking over his shoulder at me. He was right, in my condition I'd be lucky if I could walk properly, let alone beat everyone up and stealthily escape, especially with my trigger finger mashed into goo. "Frankly, you have no choice in the matter, Ackland."

"Like hell I don't."

_Oh boy, he's sure pissed off now. _I thought as his face steadily turned darker and darker crimson. The vein in Ackland's forehead pulsed. I thought he'd jump on Abe right then and there and beat him to death.

_**I Would Really Like To See Him Try,** _came a floating voice in my head. Bloody Abe. Maybe he was stronger than he looked. He was obviously angrier than he appeared to be, but then I saw the telltale signs in his posture, and surprisingly his gills. They were puffed and a little discoloured, but I couldn't tell for sure as I didn't know his body all that well. I guess it was an interpretation in the end but it seemed accurate.

Ackland moved forward towards us with a little ball-peen hammer clutched in his hairy mitt, not obviously menacing but with a hint of 'get out of my way' in his walk. Abe didn't move a muscle except the gills which again puffed out.

_Abe MOVE!_ I screamed inside my own head, sure a little bit of him was still there. _Don't you get yourself hurt over me, I can take this._

_**I Know. I Would Just Rather You Not Have To.**_

I growled out loud and tried to wiggle out of the cuffs, knowing damned well I wouldn't but the effort somehow made me feel better... maybe I could pull a Hulk and just break the chair. _HA!_

"Move, Doctor, or I'll have to make you." Ackland was up nose to... uh, nose, with Abe, breathing heavily, panting. Abe still didn't move. I wanted to kick him out of the way. No, I wasn't masochistic and loving the torture, I just didn't want this guy injured for my sake. For all of Abe's posturing I honestly didn't think he could take on Ackland in a hand to hand physical battle and win.

"Make me? You like making people do things, don't you? You like to force people to do what you please. If they don't, you like to beat them down; it's a thrill to you, isn't it?" Abe didn't back down, not one inch. "Like the woman you beat and raped. She didn't want you, did she? She thought you were disgusting, and that angered you...so you beat her to death in the alley behind the bar. You were caught but never reprimanded, were you?"

"Shut up." Ackland's voice shook.

Abe's body was tensed now, the muscles in his legs rippled with restraint. "How would you like to feel it from her perspective?"

In a flash, Abe had grabbed Ackland's head between his hands and pushed downwards, bringing his adversary to his knees. Ackland shrieked and struggled but Abe would not release him. His eyes snapped shut and I could almost feel the pulse in which Abe connected to Ackland and forced him to see what Abe wanted him to see. _Ackland, I don't envy you right now._ I didn't know what Abe was showing him but from the look on my tormenter's face it wasn't pretty.

Abe kept him there on the floor, reliving whatever it was that disturbed him, for almost a minute before finally letting him drop the rest of the way down. Ackland kept screaming and wriggling and kicking and crying. The man behind the glass came running into the room to his aid, and Abe stepped back, victorious.

He then turned to me. "There are other ways to beat an opponent into submission, Rielle."

At that moment I was actually afraid of Abe. The power inherent in those words made me shake in my chair, and I promised myself I would never piss him off as much as Ackland did. His screams followed us out of the room and down the hall as men in lab coats ran to his rescue.


	11. Spanky spanky

**_Hi there!_**

**_It's a shorty, so I'm sorry. Things have been insane... I got another job, I got midterms and I just got totally bashed into soup at the Ministry concert... (sighs in contentment) I wanna go again! things will get easier after midterms... i hope._**

****

****

**Chapter Eleven**

Lavinia:

The interrogation part of the morning didn't last as long as I thought it would. Frankly I had visions of those war movies where they break fingers and drown people and use electricity to get information out of POW's. This was nothing in comparison, just two guys in the room with me, and a one way mirror, and we had a semi-civilized chat. They asked questions, and even when I couldn't answer them, they didn't break anything! It was such a relief that I forgot how tired I was by the end, but once they transferred me from the interrogation room to a small dank cell, exhaustion just whacked me and I was out like a light in two seconds flat.

I don't know how long I slept for but it couldn't have been long. I was still sleepy but my brain functioned a whole hell of a lot better now. Now I had the time to question what the hell was going on. Why did I get picked up from my home like I did? Why did they keep asking about Rielle and her past, and my own? Why were they so rough with me? I didn't do anything! And now, even though I didn't have any answers for them and they even tried one of those little lie detector test thingies, I'm stuck in a cold prison cell by myself, I was hungry, cold, and I really needed to pee.

There wasn't any windows or nothing and I couldn't see a clock anywhere, but I know they picked me up around 2:30 or so, and the interrogation took maybe three hours, I didn't know, and I must have slept for at least an hour. The sun might be up by now.

_Sunlight. Mmmm. _It was silly really, me having been imprisoned for what, less than 12 hours, and I already missed sunlight. I'd never make it in a real jail. _Plus, the general stankness of the toilets would make me barf._

I stretched back out on my rickety cot and tried not to cry. The whole ordeal wore on me, and I felt so confused. They kept asking about Rielle, they even referred to her once as Agent Cyr. Like the silly bitch was James Bond or something. I laughed at them when they asked if I had any ties to foreign governments. I told them one of my uncles was a chief of the reserve 20 years ago, and asked if that counted. They just frowned at me. Ties to foreign government, HA! Weenuks.

I decided that instead of lying around feeling sorry and confused, I better move around. Bedsores weren't very flattering. I got off my bed, did my best to straighten my jammies out, combed my hair with my fingers, and started pacing.

Back and forth, back and forth. I wondered if I would eventually wear a groove into the floor. For entertainment I sang the Oscar Meyer Wiener song at the top of my lungs. Hell, if they were going to keep me imprisoned they'd have to put up with my off key voice.

Eventually someone came. I heard stomping feet coming towards my door and had the urge to hide under my bed. I didn't though. I sat down on the edge of my bed and tried to think of pleasant things, like bashing whoever poked their head through the door with some blunt object and running like mad for the border. I could feel my heartbeat quicken as the steps got louder and louder. I curled my legs under me and tried not to hug and rock myself like I always did when I was scared.

The foot beats stopped just outside of the door, pausing a moment before cracking it open just enough to poke a head through. Again I visualized a bash-and-run but I stayed curled up on the cot like the big chicken I was.

What a relief it was to see dark red skin and horn-stubs!

"Hellboy!" I squealed, leaping in joy off the cot and into the big lug's arms.

"Hey kid!" He wrapped me up in his leather clad arms and squeezed till I couldn't' breathe. "How are you doin'?"

Trying not to blow snot on his chest I just laughed in response. _How am I doing? Great, Wonderful. PERFECT! Get me the Hell (no pun intended) out of here!_

He put me back down and only then did I realize that he had lifted me straight up off the floor. I landed quite ungracefully.

"Come on, sit down." He said, trying to lead me back to the cot. His eyes glowed with concern and I was very very happy he was here and not some asshole doctor. It was funny how quickly I bonded with him. I guess he really liked his kitchen staff. I could just imagine prior conversations. _'Leave my cook alone!'_

"No...no. I can't. I'm to wired, I need to move." If I could I would be running circuits around the cell.

Red sat down on the cot, which creaked in protest from his weight, and I resumed my pacing. "So..."

"So?"

"So you heard they caught her?" He grumped in a baritone grumble, obviously not very happy with the news.

"Yah, they mentioned it during the three hour 'meeting' earlier."

Red's face went stony as if he was trying very hard not to start bellowing. My uncle's got that look a lot when I was a kid. "What?" He better not be mad at me, I didn't do anything. _If there was any better time for a beer and a smoke, I haven't heard about it yet._

"Nothin'. Sit down, you're making me dizzy."

"Fine, fine." I sat on the cot next to him, but the nervous energy still ran through me and I tapped my socked feet in a staccato beat on the cold floor.

Red just sat there and stewed and despite that his presence calmed me, like having a breathing brick wall between me and danger. After a minute my feet slowed their tapping and my heartbeat stabilized.

"So do you have any clue what Rielle is?" Red burst impatiently.

"Don't you think I would have said something if I did?"

He shrugged. "I don't know you too good," He hesitated, "But no. If you knew you wouldn't say anything."

I almost killed him, but realized at the last microsecond before I popped him in the jaw that he was right. I wouldn't talk; I wouldn't betray my best friend no matter what. It just wasn't in me. You don't betray family. _Damned insight! _Red was smarter than he looked. I still felt the need to defend myself as I really _didn't_ know anything.

"Yah, well, I have no fucking idea what's happening, but whatever it is, Ellie didn't do it."

"Didn't do what?"

"Whatever had you military guys swarm my apartment at two AM with guns drawn."

Red sighed. "I didn't have any part in it. That was all Tanner."

_Tanner, that prick._ I thought as I rubbed my sore chin in remembrance from when the soldiers pounded me into the floor.

"You know what's funny? Red grinned sadistically, huge white teeth gleaming. Just that expression cheered me up and made me glad he was my friend. "I heard Ellie popped him in the nose, broke it, and he screamed like a girl."

"She would." I laughed. "She never took shit from no one."

"Whereas you do?" Hellboy turned to sit cross-legged against the wall facing me. My confused face prompted him to point out some of the bruises. I poked at the tender one on my right check.

"Hey, I took a bite out of one of em', some weenuk named Parker." I stated, again in self defence. He looked surprised.

"You cannibal, you!" He chuckled and lit a cigar. The thick smoke billowed in a misshapen halo around his head, setting off my giggles. Hellboy was a living breathing oxymoron and I loved it.

"You do realize there's no ventilation in this room, right?" I complained once the smoke got a little _too_ thick. Red hopped quite nimbly for a big guy off the cot, causing me to fly a little, and opened my cell door.

"Good enough?"

"They won't freak cause the door's open? Me being a dangerous criminal and all..." I ended sarcastically. Red smirked and flipped his tail.

"Nah, they don't consider you all that dangerous. And even if you were, you couldn't get past me anyway, so..." He let the sentence dangle and once again I wanted to stomp that big ego. No wonder Ellie liked him, he egged people on. Being around him was like being around a big male Rielle, and I found it comforting.

"Red?"

"Yah?"

"Thanks." I said simply, there were no words. And even though I wasn't sure he knew what I was thanking him for he nodded and accepted. "Can I have a drag?" I pointed at his cigar.

He sat back on the bed with me and handed it over. It tasted nice, and Red looked happy I liked it, although I must have looked ridiculous with that fat cigar hanging out of my little mouth. It took me a moment to realize how perverted it probably looked and giggled to myself. Red just shook his head at me.

"You're both nuts."

"It's Ellie's fault, she's the bad influence." I realized what I said after I said it. Red also seemed to hear it, the implication that Ellie was evil or something. I hated just thinking about it.

More footsteps sounded and both Red and I looked at the door to see who it could be. The sound was so much lighter than Red's, I had to laugh a little, now that there was something for comparison I'd always know if it was him.

"Why the hell is the door open?" We heard from just outside.

Red leaned over and punched me lightly with the stone hand. Mischievous bugger. With a grin, he bellowed, "Help! She's got me all tied up! Oh! The Pain!"

"Quit it, they'll shoot me!" I whispered harshly, giving him a dirty look. Men and their warped sense of humour!

"No they won't." He whispered back, but seeing my wide eyed puppy look he retracted his bellowed statement. "Just kidding guys, she only spanked me."

I smacked him for that one. "Red!"

He hopped off the bed with another evil grin and a surprisingly girlish giggle. _I wish I could have recorded that._

The soldiers poked their wary heads in the doorway and shied from the plumes of smoke emitting from between my teeth. "What's up, boys?"


	12. I want a bandaid

**_Sorry it's been so long, guys..._**

**_note: Abe's Thoughts Are Typed Like This. _**

**_Rielle's are gramatically normal and uncapitalized._**

****

****

**Chapter Twelve**

**Rielle: **

A warm and shining glow penetrated through the haze as I slowly opened my eyes. Everything smelled like wood-smoke, and I was warm. Where ever I was, I was not alone. _Abraham, I think. _I could not feel the familiar presence of Professor Broom nearby, so I assumed he was off somewhere attending to more important affairs,_ I don't blame him one bit for not wanting to see me, or even be in the same room with me. _Something popped nearby and I involuntarily flinched, even though I knew it wasn't the gunshot I'd been half expecting since the Dunkin Donuts incident.

Suddenly a familiar bluish shape hovered just out of my vision, and I felt a soothing weight on my shoulder. This time I didn't flinch away from it, instead leaning into it. It went against everything in my head right now, the instinct to run, to fight… but like I said, the touch was comfortable, safe, not endangering. I let it be.

The fog cleared a little and I recognized Abe staring me directly in the eye, and if I assumed right, which, in my drugged and dizzy condition wasn't likely, he seemed to project concern though his mysterious eyes.

"Welcome back." He said delicately, the hint of an accent showing through more in his softness. _Christ, how long have I been out?_ I thought, trying to lift my other, uninjured hand to wipe the sleep out of my eyes. He was still in his 'street clothes', full with thin breathing tank, and his goggles rested on his forehead.

"About an hour, which isn't bad considering…" he left off, knowing what was going through my head. I attempted to move my hand, just to see if there was any strength, but a searing pain stopped me as soon as I flexed… four of my fingers decided moving wasn't a smart idea. I felt a little nauseous and groaned in protest.

"It's just the shock. Your fingers are crushed and I think you have a cracked rib or two. Not to mention you're still bleeding in a few places."

"Don't forget my foot." I mumbled. It didn't hurt but I didn't want to forget it. It was my foot. I loved my foot.

"Pardon?"

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against… a chair. A soft nice smelling chair. Smelled like home. Waitaminute. _Broom's office? Oh fuck, I'm going to bleed all over his furniture!_

Abe laughed quietly, "I had the forethought to put a towel down before you sat here."

_Glad someone's thinking straight. _I found it was a lot easier to think than speak, so I let Abe in a little more. He tipped his head to the side a little, and reached a hand out, gently removing a clump of hair that was plastered to my cheek with blood. My eyes popped open again at the sensation, such a gentle gesture almost bringing me to tears. _Fucking drugs._

Abe nodded in understanding. "You're welcome" He gave a short smile again and disappeared from view.

I only noticed how peaceful it was in here now that I had that little 'session' for comparison… how could I have forgotten how uncomfortable and sterile a room like that could be? I'd been in enough of them in my time. This place was soft, warm, brown and red and black, and smelled like wood and paper and calmness.

The only thing that didn't radiate calm in this room was Abe, who was moving around behind me, pacing. His footsteps on the soft carpet reminded me of a heartbeat. I could still feel him inside my head, a remnant of what happened in the 'torture chamber' as he put it… I could hear him rambling about the medical supplies being useless and why the hell didn't he have a decent splint and some thick bandages, and I told him to calm down but it just seemed to piss him off some more. He continued pacing in my head and on the carpet while I sat curled in the big chair trying not to play with the bloody mess that used to be my hand.

_Go ahead, torture yourself. As if you haven't had enough of that for one lifetime already, huh? _Not like I could really call that last session there 'torture'. It didn't last long at all, didn't hurt as badly as that other time years ago…

Abe was suddenly knelt in front of me and staring me in the eyes, concern written all over his face. "What was that?"

Quit… reading… me…" I took a playful half-assed swipe at his head but he ducked it easily.

"Well, at least you're in a rational mood. How are you feeling?"

I didn't have the breathe to verbalize it so I opened my mind and showed him images instead with a screaming _how the hell do you think I feel _to top it all off. Unfortunately, I started thinking about the other time. Those wires and knives and that big fucker with the machete…

"Machete?"

I shook my head. No way. "Don't ask." The head movement didn't help get rid of my light-headedness any. _Yah, you're a genius…_

I heard a door close and assumed Abe left the room. _Shit. _I kept focussed on the firelight instead of his thoughts. The strange images that the fire projected on the books and over Abe's tank were sort of pretty, but when the fire popped again I jumped in my chair, hearing gunfire once again, and my instinct to duck and find cover overtook me. I blinked a few times to clear my head but it didn't work, this time when I opened my eyes I saw a flash of silver and the old scar on my belly flared heat and a twinge of pain. _No no, not again._

I got out of my chair so I could run and hide somewhere, but I immediately hit the soft carpet, legs too weak to hold me upright. So I stayed on my elbows and knees, trying like mad to banish those images. I thought instead of the Big Bastard, Lavinia dancing to _Achy Breaky_ Heart when she was drunk, and Hellboy drinking on the roof with me… what, a few hours ago? _Big fat harvest moon, sky lit with tiny blinking stars, warm leather surrounded by kitten-scent and smoke…_My mind cleared a little with these images and my breathing slowed. I kept my eyes closed and pondered my next move, but the pain killers Abe must have injected earlier dulled my impulses. I gave up after considering a bash and run tactic on the heroic fish man who quite possibly saved my life. What an ungrateful move that would that be, huh?

I felt myself drift off into a deep sleep, but my last thought before dropping off was: O_ne more scare and I might just explode._

**Abe: **

I left her only for a moment to find a box with the splints and bandages, and to possibly locate the Professor and Hellboy. _If I had any brains at all I would have taken her to Med Lab instead of the office, _one part of me chided, while the other argued that after all she's been through tonight, and that putting her in a room of warmth and comfort was healthier for her mind than the sterile box the Med Lab was.I didn't know who to believe, my rational self or my instinctual self. In this case instinct won out, but ration told me I was a moron. Well, if instinct could get Hellboy past all the weird things he's been through, it could work for me too, damn it.

Once I got Rielle away from that room I honestly didn't know what to do with her. Broom was nowhere to be seen, and Hellboy was likely back to sulking in his room. She was groaning and bleeding in my arms, and so in need of something soft, so I took her to the first safe place I could think of that wasn't brightly lit and sanitized.

She was not in the best physical state I admit, but I worried most about her mental condition. She seemed fine at first, a little shaken and groggy, but as time progressed and the painkillers I injected took effect, every quick reading I took from her showed steadily increasing erraticism and flashbacks. When she finally had that image of that man with the machete I got frantic. Against my better judgement I left the office to seek help. But the further I got from the office the more likely she'd get completely lost. It was like my mind was an anchor for hers, albeit temporarily while the drugs worked their way out of her system. The only thing right now between her sanity and total chaos was surprisingly, me.

Then again I may have over thought the whole thing. I had the tendency to do that when I was stressed.

Another thing I seemed to do a lot when lost in thought was bump into things. I did that after turning a particularly sharp corner, slamming right into the Professor. I caught his arm before he could fall, but he dropped his cell phone and bellowed a little. He looked angry, but I could not tell if it was directed at me, or whomever he was speaking to on the phone. From the look on his face I prayed it wasn't me.

He noted my presence as he picked the phone back up and gave it a distasteful shake. "Hello? Yes, good, you're still there… no, I just dropped the blasted thing. Sedated, you say?"

I opened my mouth to get his attention, but he silenced me with a look from under his bushy eyebrows. His face reddened suddenly, and he yelled into the receiver, "You can tell Tanner, when he's out of the Med Lab, that I really don't care what his orders are!" He gave the phone a glare before slamming it shut, muttering "Idiot."

"Who's an idiot, Dr. Addams?" I asked. The Professor shook his head, distracted. I went on anyway. "I need you back in the…"

The Professor interrupted me, hearing the phone ring in his hand. He opened it, and seeing the number on the display, threw the gadget nonchalantly over his shoulder. I think I saw the slightest twitch in his mouth, almost a smile, as he heard the phone smash into pieces of plastic and circuits on the hard floor. I couldn't help but smile with him. It felt good to smash things once in a while, a lesson I learned from Hellboy after one particularly boring mission.

"Now, what were you saying?" He gave me his full attention, laying a fatherly hand on my shoulder. I found it sweet that even though he was much shorter than me, he still took the effort to reach up to make the gesture.

"I took Miss Cyr to your office. I think she needs more medical attention right now that I can give her."

The Professor shook his head positively, "Yes, good. Tanner and Ackland are in Med Lab, and it would likely have caused a scene if you had taken Miss Cyr there. Good thinking." _There is no way I am going to tell him I never even thought of that_. "Let's go. Oh! Do we need anything? Supplies?"

If it weren't for him, I would have completely forgotten. "Yes, yes… we need splints, medication, a few bandages… maybe a sponge and some water to get some of the blood…" I stopped when his eyes lost their focus. I regretted going into that much detail; he really didn't need to know that much. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "No, thank you for telling me. How bad is it?"

Better to tell him now than let it surprise him when we get there. "Bad." I told him what Rielle's injuries were, a little bit of what happened in the Torture Chamber, and a little of what happened to Ackland.

The Professor gasped. "That man is a lunatic."

I smiled. "He is now…"

The Professor apparently didn't like the sadism in my voice. "Never mind that for now," He said curtly, moving off towards his office with more speed than I'd seen in weeks, "Lets get Miss Cyr some bandages. I'll worry about those two later."

**Rielle: **

_Sand blasted my thighs and arms, the sun burned my eyes, drying my tears before they could even wash down my cheeks. The enemy had me surrounded, on foot and hanging out the windows of army jeeps. The torn bodies of my companions laid in pieces at my feet. I could no longer stand, could no longer keep the death grip on my rifle. I fell to my knees and dropped my weapon in the sand. I turned my head and I watched the life of my closest friend leak out into the ground, immediately consumed by the heated grains…_

_"Ellie?" A hand fell onto my shoulder. I started, tipping over from my kneeled position on the earth. I reached out for the closest weapon but there wasn't anything within reach, just the fire-poker._ _The bright rays of the sun reflected off of somebody's glasses and obscured my vision. Where'd my gun go?_

_Wait, fire-poker?_

My eyes snapped open only to see a pile of fuzzy curly hair and a tweed suit. I didn't mean to scream and I felt bad for making the Professor jump, but I couldn't help it! A pair of thin yet strong arms encircled me from behind, and I knew who it was. It was an embrace of consolation, not restraint, but it just made me cry harder. I knew I had to calm down but I couldn't! _There is no sand, there are no bodies, you're in Broom's office, and you're safe for now._

"My dear girl, what did they do to you?" Broom knelt down in front of me, and I felt worse because I heard his knees crack in the process. I started blubbering apologies and tried to break loose from Abe but he just clung a little tighter, pulling me tight back against him, so instead I curled myself and kept my head down.

"We need to get her bandaged and cleaned up before Hellboy and Lavinia get here."

I panicked. _No I can't have them see me all fucked up like this last thing Lavinia needs to see she'll freak out and Hellboy who knows what the fuck he's going to do to me I gotta get the fuck out of here._ Abe must have heard that, and he resisted my wriggling fairly well but I don't think he knew what to do with me. It only took a light elbow in his gut for him to loosen his grip. I slipped out and pushed past the Professor running for the door; just glancing back to be sure I didn't hurt either of them in my rush to get away.

My knees almost gave out on me as I reached the doors but I couldn't let myself fall. What energy I had left was directed on getting me out of this room and away from the two men already giving chase. "Rielle, where are you going?" Broom yelled and Abe was already halfway across the room. I wasn't quite sure where I was. I flashed back and forth between harsh desert and soft carpet. The voices of Broom and Abe intermingled with the foreign languages of the soldiers. It only happened for a moment but then I was back to reality, faced with the large oaken doors of the office.

I pulled the right door open with my uninjured hand and ran out into the hallway, which was luckily clear of people. It was a straight sprint, only two corners, about fifty feet to the elevator, and if the hall remained empty it would take about 15 seconds to get there. Before I could even start running through I slipped on the smooth laminate flooring and narrowly avoided getting tackled by Abe.

In my head I knew I was acting moronic, erratic, likely insane, but it didn't matter. I just wanted OUT, right NOW. Until that happened I'd be as crazy as I wanted. Fuck it.

I shot off down the hallway, only now realizing I was still only in my underwear and I had no boots on. _Been through worse, keep going, twenty feet to the elevator, around that corner._ If I weren't so groggy I would have remembered some of my training and checked around it first. I exploded around the corner and smacked into something immovable. The sheer force of speed versus solid object was enough to knock me flat and blur my vision.

"Wall." I grunted, checking to see if my nose was busted. Abe caught up and almost fell trying to stop before he himself smacked into the wall.

"Let me see." He removed my hands from my nose and I had the vague memory of my mom doing the same thing to me after I got into a fistfight with a seventh grader.

"Wall, my ass," a grumbly voice snapped.

"I'm trying very hard to keep my mouth shut, Monkeyboy… you left such a tempting opening," said Abe, while dabbing at my nose with a wad of gauze.

I giggled. The wall was talking about its ass! _Waitaminute._ "Monkeys?" Why wasn't my brain working? What was I just doing?

"Nice panties."

"Shut up, Red." Abe admonished.

"Red! Hi! I know you!" I pointed at the big familiar face. I didn't see Lavinia, so that was a relief.

"What's her deal?"

"She's heavily drugged and just got out of an interrogation."

"Where's Vinny?" I asked. Not that I wanted her there to see me like this. Blackmail material for a lifetime, this was. _How about, you just don't think about anything for a while, huh? Just might be a smart idea. Wait until your brain clears before you say anything that you're not supposed to. _Clear, fuzzy, back and forth, one moment smooth and the next, baffling. What the hell did Abe poke me with anyway?

_I Don't Know What It Was Called, But Next Time I'll Read The Instructions Better. _


	13. Explanation the first

note: I'm pulling this shit out of my ass, so don't believe a word of it. I don't' know fuck all about the military or shit going on in the Middle East. I claim no knowledge of CSIS either, just what I've read on the internet. If you're military or something, don't come breaking down my door or anything, okay? I'm making this shit up as I go. Lol. Anything that I write, if some of it is actually true, it's purely coincidence.

this is a long-un, a two parter... the second half I haven't written yet. :) it's been one of the hardest chapters to write for me...

**Chapter Thirteen:** part one

**Hellboy:**

Rielle tried to get up off of the floor, but halfway up she seemed to lose strength in her knees, because down she went, hitting the floor with a thump and a grunt that resounded off the walls. She held her head in her hands and only then did I notice how badly she was injured. Her right hand was curled and covered with gauze, and she leaned her head-weight mostly on her left. I also noticed the giant scar running up the front of her torso. Whatever had made that had undoubtedly been painful, and I only hoped that she hadn't been awake when it happened. I could see the goose bumps on her skin and I wanted to cover her up, but instead I made a joke about her underwear. _Real smart._

"Don't feel so good." She muttered incoherently, slowly tipping over to one side. Abe caught her before she landed though, _quick fish_, and kept her body steady as her eyes closed.

"She's out." Abe said, as her head fell on his shoulder, "Red, help me carry her back to the Professor's office, if you could, please?" He said, wrapping his arms around her and under her arms, being very careful not to jostle the injured parts. I shrugged nonchalantly and grabbed her feet, being gentle but simultaneously staring at the ugly scar. It looked like it was done with something big and sharp, but I couldn't quite tell what. A sword maybe? _Yah, right, she got jumped by a bunch of ninjas, huh?_

In Father's office we placed her gently on the floor in front of the fire. My father was off to the side with a washcloth and a bowl of water, looking concerned. He kneeled down next to Rielle and started wiping the sweat off her brow with the cloth. I winced when his knees cracked as he knelt, worried that he didn't even use his cane to help himself down.

"What's going on?" I finally asked, sick of waiting for someone to just tell me. Nobody tells me shit around here. Abe picked up a blanketand covered Rielle with it before answering me.

"Tanner and Ackland had her in the interrogation room for a while. She was tortured before I could get her out of there."

My vision temporarily turned red but I kept control in front of my father. He gave me a small smile and cleaned the rest of Ellie's face. I noticed another cut on her lip and a bruise forming on her cheek. "What did they do to her?"

After Abe told me about the finger crushing I lost it. It took my father blocking the door to stop me from going to the Med Lab and pounding Ackland into putty.

"Sit down." He said sternly, pointing at the chair with a very mean looking scowl that would probably scare most of the spooks I've ever dealt with. Hesitantly I obeyed, plopping myself in a chair and keeping my mouth shut as the two of them took care of Ellie.

_What the fuck were they torturing her for?_ I didn't know, I had only seen the Wanted Poster, I didn't know about any of the supposed crimes she had committed or why they were searching for her. All I knew was that she was my friend and I didn't like seeing her all cut up like that.

I wondered if Lavinia knew anything that she wasn't telling me. She told me that she knew nothing about it when I talked to her in her cell, but she could have been lying. I didn't think so but I'd been fooled by people before. I'd have to get Abe to read her just to be sure.

"Red, come here and help us get her to the couch. She's going to be out for a couple of hours."

After that was done, Abe left and got back into his tank to get some shuteye. Father was tired as well, so I volunteered to keep watch over Rielle for a few hours. Lavinia was asleep when I left her and hopefully would remain so for a few more hours. It was daylight by now but I'd lost track of time. I said goodnight anyways to my father and saw him out of the office, leaving me alone with Rielle.

_Shit, I can't even smoke in here. Should have had her moved to my room. At least the cats would keep her warm. _I made myself comfortable on a nearby chair and watched her sleep for about an hour before I nodded off myself.

I felt something on my shoulder a couple of hours later, after a few strange dreams of gunfire and smoke. It startled me awake and I made a grab for whatever it was, unsure if it was form the dream or for real.

"Red! It's just me!" It was Rielle's voice. I opened my eyes and lifted my head from the armrest to see her kneeling next to me, wrapped up in a blanket with her hair in her eyes. Her eyes were huge and more than a little freaked out.

"Heya kid." I groaned stretching a little before sitting up. "How are you feeling?"

She snorted. "Better. Still a little dizzy, but not quite a raving lunatic like before."

"Good. You scared my dad." I meant it as a joke (sort of) but when she hung her head I took it back. "Just kidding kid, relax." She took a heavy breath and sat back on her ankles.

"Where is he?" She asked softly, pulling the blanket tighter around her.

"I sent him to bed a few hours ago. I guess he'd been up all night trying to figure out what's going on."

"Oh." she played with the gauze on her right hand, and I couldn't help but grimace remembering what Abe said they did to her.

"What _is_ going on, anyways? I saw this wanted poster with your face on it and I hear that Tanner had quite a fit when he found out you had already left the base."

Again she took a deep breath and kept her mouth shut. She actually looked an inch away from crying, but kept her face stony. Back to the Ice Queen from a few days ago.

"Alright, but dad's going to want answers, you know." I sighed, getting off the chair and stretching again. I congratulated myself on my calmness, when I really wanted to just shake her and make her tell me what the hell was going on. I didn't like being kept in the dark, and I thought we were friendly enough with each other that she would not have to lie to me anymore. _Apparently not_.

"Look," she said, staring up at me from the floor, looking very tiny. "I'll tell you, but when everyone's here, you, Abe, your dad, and… and Lavinia." She finished with a shudder. "God this is going to suck" she said. I helped her back to the couch and got her a glass of water, which she gratefully swallowed down without a breath. "Just in case I pass out again, I'm sorry for lying to you, Red."

"S'alright." I said, sitting next to her and letting her rest her head on my shoulder. I waited until she was asleep again before I let myself nod off again. Nothing like another warm body to help you sleep.

**Lavinia:**

When someone finally came to get me I was relieved. I thought they were going to keep me in here forever despite what Big Red told me earlier. He said that this was probably just procedure, that I didn't have anything to do with what was going on and they'd eventually let me go. I wasn't sure what to do if they ever did let me go, I mean, could I actually leave the base without finding out what's going on with Rielle? Hell no. Whatever she did, or whatever they were blaming her for; I'd stick by her. Shit, she'd stuck by me through some tough shit in our lives; I could only do the same back for her. Even throughout the drug rehab Rielle went through she stuck with me.

The guards that came for me were unarmed, so obviously they knew I wasn't some kind of dangerous criminal. They kept their mouths shut when I asked them what was happening, and I gave up pretty quick. Fucking military silent treatment. Need to know basis my ass.

I was a little surprised when they took me to Broom's office instead of another interrogation chamber or the front exit. There was something about seeing these doors right now that sent a chill down my spine, like something inside was going to be bad for me. The guards left me alone so I just stood there for a minute, unsure whether to go in or not. Did I really want to know what was going on or should I just chicken out and run for the exit?

_You big pussy, get in there and figure this shit out or it's going to keep buggin' you._

I pushed the doors open and squealed. There was Rielle! I didn't notice anything wrong with her at first, I just ran up and gave her the biggest bear hug I could until she yelled for me to let her go. Only then did I notice her right hand was wrapped in gauze and her lip was split open. Where were her clothes? They had her in some more military fatigues instead of the nice clothes she had packed a couple of days ago. Her hair was a mess, and was that blood? What the fuck's going on?

Red, Abe and the Mad Hatter were all present, either holding coffee or juice and all looked a little grim.

"Alright, what is this? Why is she all cut up and shit? Why are you guys looking so gloomy? We're not getting executed by the state or something are we?"

Broom outright laughed at the last question. "No executions, my dear. Coffee?"

Exasperated, I threw my hands up. "NO! I don't want coffee! I want to know what the fuck happened to my friend!"

"Calm down sweetie, I'm okay." Rielle said.

"My brown ass!"

Abe put his hand on my arm and led me to a chair before I could freak out on them any further. "Just sit down for a minute and relax." He passed me a coffee and sat next to me. He smelled like seaweed.

_I Do Not!_

I leapt out of the chair and shook my finger at him. "Don't do that! I'm bugged out enough as it is!" He pulled me back down next to him and I gave him the glare of death. Ellie was seated over by Hellboy, looking awake but beaten up. "What happened to your hand?"

Rielle didn't look too good, like she was going to puke. In a small voice she answered "I'll tell you in a minute."

I merely growled in response. _Fuck, nobody tells me shit around here!_ Abe patted my leg and went to lock the doors. He didn't sit back down again, just stood off to the side a bit while Broom found himself a comfortable chair. It looked as if we'd be here for a while. Maybe I'd finally get some fucking answers.

'Okay, now that we're all here and in one piece," he paused to look at Rielle, who gave him a wry smile and put her head back on Red's shoulder. "I think it's about time we got an explanation from Rielle."

"But I want to know why she's all fucked up like that!" I almost screamed. I knew I swore in front of Broom again but right now I didn't care much.

Abe explained it to me, what he saw when he walked into the Interrogation room but I have a feeling he left some stuff out. I would have asked Ellie but her eyes were all unfocussed and dead looking. They broke her fingers with a bottle opener, so I excused her ignoring me for now. "Okay, so why did they do that in the first place? It's not like she's dangerous or anything."

When Abe pointedly glanced at Ellie, she curled a little tighter against Red, but lifted her head and looked around the room. "Fuck." She muttered with a deep breath.

**Rielle:**

_This is_ _going to suck. I can't even look at Lavinia without wanting to hide in Red's armpit _(which was not at all pleasant). _Here I have to reveal a secret I've kept from my best friend for almost 8 years, and in a military base of all places, where most likely I'm going to be jailed for the rest of my life. Fuck. Not good._ Well, I couldn't exactly escape and run for the border, now could I?

With a sigh of resignation and a small poke from Red, I uncurled myself and sat straight, hugging my coffee like it was the last thing holding my body together. The carpet looked pretty. "How do I start?" I asked, completely lost. _What do I start with?_

"Well, first off, why are you on a wanted poster?" said Red.

"Why don't you tell us where you learned that psychic block you do?" asked Abe.

"Just start from the beginning" Broom said.

Lavinia just grunted, "I need a beer."

_I liked Broom's suggestion the best._ "Okay, the beginning. You guys want the short version or the Stephen King super extended edition?"

"Whatever you want, dear." Broom said with a soft smile. Damn I wanted to hug him.

"Alright. Well, to sum it up in once sentence, I'm an ex military assassin and mercenary for hire."

Vinny burst out laughing, spewing her mouthful of coffee down her chin. "Oh you're so full of shit!"

I felt bad for killing her high, but I had to. "I'm serious, Vinny. For three years, I killed people for a living."

She was the only person still giggling. The others had mixed expressions of surprise and curiosity. Red looked the worst of them all with his bugged out yellow eyes. It took a second for Vinny to slow her laughter, only after noticing everyone else was dismal looking. "You're serious?"

I just nodded. Her jaw dropped and so did my head. The carpet looked VERY pretty. "WHAT THE FU..." Vinny was instantly on her feet and yelling but Abe stopped her and sat her down before she could finish swearing.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you! But I couldn't tell ANYONE! If you were caught they might have…" I stopped there out of habit. I still had the mentality that I shouldn't be saying a thing. I took a deep breathe and continued calmly. "I couldn't say anything to anyone. There's a policy that if I tell anyone, they're shot in the head, in short."

Vinny's eyes got all round, but she didn't say anything. Red shifted in his seat, slightly away from me. That hurt a bit. Oh well, I deserved it.

"I joined up with the military in late fall 1997. I was sick of the city, sick of the drama at the rez, so this was the one way I knew I could get away from it and get paid. I'd also been fascinated with the military since I was a kid. I loved movies like Platoon and those cheesy movies like the Professional and La Femme Nikita, and I thought the military would teach me some of that stuff. One night I just disappeared, I took a bag with me and walked out. I didn't even tell Lavinia where I was going."

Lavinia grumbled from her seat, it sounded like, "Best goddamned friend, my ass." I ignored it.

"They were good to me in boot camp. They fed me, trained me, and I learned a lot. I was the best at the covert stuff, sneaking around and 'killing' dummies. They also were pretty happy with my degree; most people that go through initial training barely have their high school diploma, let alone a university education. Sure it was for English, but it still counted. It didn't take long before some guys in suits showed up and asked me if I wanted to join up with CSIS, and holy crap, did that make me squeal. Like, was I really that good? Sure I went through training pretty quick and all the higher ups were impressed with my performance, but damn!"

"What's See Sis?" Vinny asked, leaned forward and paying close attention.

"Basically like the American CIA." Abe answered for me. I nodded.

"He's right. They're publicly rather gentle in comparison though. But unfortunately they're quite deeply involved in international affairs that they shouldn't be. The Canadian military is a lot nastier under the service than most people would think. We're not all fun-lovin' canucks anymore." _God they're all going to think I'm full of shit_. It all sounded right out of one of those bad political drama movies.

"So yah, to make a long story short I went with the suits, and they took me to some military base and I got trained some more. Think GI Jane shit, laying tripwires and dismantling guns was the easy part. I got into the electronic stuff, how to best kill someone with a pen, covert tactical things like that. I'm sorry if I'm making it glib and shit, but if I went into detail, most of you would puke. I had to practice on fellow soldiers a lot. They practiced on me a bit." I flipped my hair and displayed the little round scar near my jugular. "Pen-kill training. It wasn't only killing stuff; they taught me how to speak a few languages, enough to get me by at least. French, different dialects of Arabic, stuff like that. I also learned the history of pretty much every country that supposedly 'posed a threat to safety' and all about the important government people, all the people that ran those countries, and the terrorists and the rebels and the leaders."

"None of us, and there were quite a few of us, were allowed to leave the complex we were training in, I wasn't allowed to contact anyone I knew, family, friends, nobody. Hell, I didn't even get a full day off. It was full on training. I couldn't even quit if I wanted to, the shit they were teaching us and the shit that I knew about other countries and people would have gotten me killed if I was allowed to wander the streets."

"By this time it was past the millennium, and I had been in training for they about two years and learned to use everything to my advantage. Guns, Knives, rocket launchers, grenades, plastique, various other explosives, and even the simple shit like how to dismantle a nuke or how to kill someone with a punch."

"You call that simple?" Red muttered.

"It is when it's all you do, day in, day out for two years. After about a year and a half, I was sent out on missions. They were simple, apprehensions of international criminals and a lot of surveillance jobs. It was actually sort of fun! It was right out of the movies, like Nikita. But it got fucked up real fast.

"Eventually they taught us how to work independent of the organization. They needed some people out there that would volunteer to work _for_ the government, but not directly with them. I volunteered, obviously. I wanted the freedom to choose my jobs and I didn't want to live on base anymore. I got myself a place in Germany and kept communication with the organization through encrypted emails and four-second phone calls. They'd tell me where to go and I'd go, meeting up with two or three others and going off on missions together. If anything fucked up we'd disappear. If someone was captured they'd have to be taken out instantly. If I was caught and couldn't be taken out, I'd have to find a way to take myself out. It all paid very well."

"It was around November 2000 when I was sent alone into… well, a country in the Middle East. And no, I'm not telling you which one. Anyway, my assignment was to take out some rebel leader who was startin' shit with the local government, and rumour has it they're under Canadian protection.. Apparently he was the head of a group of supposed terrorists who were credited with a lot of bombings and assassinations of important government officials. This was my first job alone, and the first time I had one specific target. By now I had a few kills under my belt, but they were all just soldiers, nobodies. This was someone important."

Broom shakily refilled my coffee cup. I grabbed his free hand real quick and gave him a pleading look _Please don't hate me it's not my fault!_ I let him go when I realized he was still shaking. Even Abe looked a little freaked. I guess they hadn't been around many mercenaries. _They're military, of course they have. They just didn't expect it from me._ May as well keep talking.

"So yah, I tracked this guy's movement for about a month before I made the decision to move in. He'd been meeting with a bunch of other targets on our hit lists, but I was told to leave them alone and just focus on this one dude. So I did. I kept seeing schematics for bombs and city plans and shit, and I still couldn't do anything. I was ordered to take this dude out on one certain day.

"I waited until that day came, then I grabbed my shit and went after him. He was exactly where he was supposed to be, sitting at the dinner table with his family. I didn't even blink, I pulled the trigger. His brains splattered all over his wife and children. I walked off without another thought."

I could have put that a little nicer, but honestly, why sugarcoat it? I blew someone's head off while he was relaxing with his kids, and although I wasn't proud of it, it had to be told. It showed what sort of training they put me through, and what I, in the end, am capable of.

"But that night, I had some pretty fucking bad dreams. I kept seeing my grandmother sitting there in front of my bed, just staring at me. Not saying a fucking word just staring. I didn't know what to think, except that she was ashamed of me and what I'd become. No way was I doing what she told me to do when I was a kid. She always told me to respect people, not to hurt people, not to do anything against what I believed in. I'd betrayed her by doing the exact opposite, by killing people for money, and for totally unclear purposes. I didn't do fuck all about it though. The next morning I left town and back to Germany.

"I did this for another six months, every time having those dreams with my grandmother just sitting there staring at me. By the time 2001 rolled around I had 10 official kills under my belt, not counting the handful of soldiers and guards that I took down as collateral damage."

Trying to remember, I realized my actual kill count was more like 40, but I refused to tell that to the group. By now my voice was strong, but I couldn't look up at everyone, again staring at my bare feet and the designs in the rug. I could see the tip of Hellboy's boot thump up and down against the carpet and the couch vibrated with his nervous movements, but that was all I could see. Even Abe shut his mind off from me.

"So how'd you get out of it? I mean, you're here aren't you?" Lavinia spat. I ignored her anger again.

"Umm, well, Abe knows a bit of this stuff." I continued after downing my lukewarm coffee. Abe shifted in his seat next to Vinny, who had tears welling up again but still paying attention. I had no clue what Broom was doing, but I had the feeling he was extremely pissed. I closed my eyes and went on without even thinking about them, blocking them out and just visualizing it all in my head and letting it come out of my mouth. I let Abe know he could access my head if he wanted to, just to confirm what I was saying to the others if they had doubts.

"It was getting close to winter again, 2001. I'd pretty much made enough money to be independently wealthy and was well known in the Merc circles. I had a rep as an efficient killer and escape artist. The government was happy with my performance and had been giving me a lot of bonuses. They'd still deny any connection to me if I was ever captured, but hell, I didn't care. I was still sort of having fun.

"I got a call telling me to get my ass to Iran. They had someone they wanted taken out ASAP, and if I could take out the rest of the building and everyone in it, all the better. The bonus was well over a quarter million for doing it right, so there was no way I was going to turn this one down. I was starting to miss my family and I spent a lot of nights considering going back home again, or at least asking the military for an out. I was getting close to retirement anyways. Usually the policy was three years, and then you'd either sign up again or take a desk job or train the new kids. I was going to ask if I could just go home. Nobody knew where I was from, and if they did, they'd get lost trying to find the Rez, so it wouldn't be too much of a risk. We could see people coming from ten miles away from where my old place was." I laughed a little, and so did Vinny from across the room.

"So anyways, I got there and found myself a nice little hotel room in Tehran. I can't tell you anything specific, but it was a pretty nice place. Big rooms, great view of the area, a couple decent escape routes if things got all fuckered. I didn't have to move in on this guy for another couple of days, so I spend the time wandering around the city taking in the sights and going over the preparations in my head.

"What I didn't know is that there were a few more people joining me in this mission. Apparently a one-person team wasn't enough to take the place out. So two guys and another woman joined me, plus one guy I came up with at CSIS training we nicknamed Snake. He had been a good buddy while I was in there getting the snot kicked out of me by the more experienced officers. He stood up for me a lot. It was sort of like a high school reunion, me and Snake spent a good four hours catching up on what we could without violating procedure. At first I didn't trust the others but I talked to my sources and they confirmed these dudes were okay. So yah, we went over the plans together, I altered it a bit for them. Apparently I was the leader of the group. These guys had been on the field for a few months but to the government they were all still green, except of course Snake. I had to take care of a team, and it made me a little nervous. Snake backed me up though; he knew what he was doing so explaining shit was a lot easier. He was a good guy."

I sighed, stopping for a moment to collect myself. "The day finally came, our operation was green lit by a single phone call and everyone knew what their jobs were. We drove out to the desert, about three miles away from the base we were to attack. It was morning and not that hot yet, so we made good time. By the time we reached the area, we had found 14 well-hidden landmines and almost tripped an alarm. I gave my guys shit for almost giving us away. The entire atmosphere was bad. I should have aborted.

"I remember the sounds. I don't even know what happened, one minute we were alone and in our positions, the next there was gunfire and smoke and a whole lot of screaming. I took a bullet to the shoulder and hit the ground in time to miss another mine-explosion. I saw the other girl, Sam I think was her name; take the explosion full in the face.

"I started shooting at the shadows; the dust was so thick I couldn't see much at all. I took another bullet to the leg, but it missed the artery so I was all right. I hit the ground again but I took out the fucker who had shot me. It was total chaos and only lasted a minute or two. Snake dragged me out of the line of fire and behind an oil drum, which wasn't the smartest idea but it got me away from the bullets. I was coughing pretty hard; black shit came out of my lungs. I couldn't help but think of those miners who get black lung.

"Snake ran out to see if he could find the others and was immediately taken down by a sniper bullet. I stayed behind the drum and I watched as he fell. He was still alive. I dragged myself to my feet and went out there to get him out of there, dodging bullets left and right, taking a few of those fuckers out with me. I saw one of my guy's corpse not too far away and the other guy shooting like mad at a jeep that was on its way up. In all there were about 13 bodies lying around, 3 of mine and ten of theirs.

"I got to Snake at the same time the jeep showed up, and out poured another ten guys with M240's and enough Uzi's to sink a ship. I knew there wasn't any hope of getting out of there in one piece. I was bleeding pretty bad and totally exhausted. I fell to my knees and dropped my rifle, but I kept my hand close to the little Walther P5 I kept holstered to my hip. The enemy surrounded me and Snake and quickly took out my last guy with a bullet to the head. They were yelling and pointing their guns at me, and even though I knew a little Farsi, my head was so fucked up I couldn't understand a word they said. I knew they meant to take me prisoner but it just didn't penetrate. I just watched Snake eventually bleed out, twitch and die…

"I think they got impatient cause one of them rushed forward to grab me, so I pulled my gun and put it to my head. I knew they couldn't take me alive, I knew I had to pull the trigger. I don't know how, it was probably the sniper that took out Snake, but suddenly there was a bang and the gun flew out of my hand and I was crushed suddenly under five huge dudes."

I took a breather here. I couldn't think of anything more to say. Wait, that's a lie, I could think of a lot more to say, but I didn't know what was relevant. One side of me told me that if I was going to come clean, it should be complete; I should tell everything down to the very last detail. The other half of me told me to say only what was relevant, and what happened next wasn't all that relevant. I was lost.

"Abe?" He was the only one I could think of to take a look first, or give me advice. Out of everyone he knew the situation the best, already having a glimpse of what happened. I felt him dig around in my mind for a moment.

"Go ahead. It's relevant." He said with a shudder.

TBC… in part 2.


	14. Explanation the Second

Warning to the light-hearted: this gets pretty sick. Makes me wonder at my own imagination actually. Don't worry, things will get less, well, gross later on. I just have to get this out of the way.

Another note: I must reiterate that I don't know much at all about human biology, military tactics or interrogation techniques, and am making this shit up as I go. Hopefully I get some of it right, but if I don't, well, I was never in a military situation and have nothing really to go on. LOL. Just ignore fallacies. :D

One last thing: You guys rock, thank you SO much for all the feedback, and thanks to judocat once again for betaing this for me.

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**Chapter Thirteen: Part Two**

**Abe:**

I honestly couldn't think of many things more disturbing than what I saw in Rielle's mind while she was wavering on tears trying to continue her tale. I had seen worse while working for the BPRD, but I had not seen total war or how POWs were treated in those situations, and had never experienced firsthand the level of horror that this young girl had witnessed. She was not yet 30 years old and she had seen more in that short time than your average 60 year old. I really didn't know that to make of that. With what she had revealed in the past hour I didn't know if I felt sorry for her or was fearful of her, or both. She made the choices she did for greedy reasons and she knew it. I also ascertained she regretted most of those decisions. In her mind, she was a worse monster than a man like Ackland, and I admired her guts for covering herself like this for so long.

_Too bad she ran into me_, I thought with a huff. She may have had a few more years of anonymity before something else happened that would have forced her to reveal herself, or before she ended up dead. Either way, I was still unsure of what to make of her. What she'd done was deplorable, but her regret, her love for Lavinia and her personality all endeared her to me.

Rielle was again coiled into a little ball on the sofa, now at a distance from Red, who had not so subtly shifted himself out of arms reach of the girl. I couldn't blame him. I touched his mind earlier when she told us about shooting that man while he was eating with his family, and I sensed such a surge of revulsion from him that it surprised me. He usually kept those types of feelings reserved for Nazi's and other monstrosities. He had dealt with psychos, monsters, conjured spirits, etc, with contempt and excessive force, but he rarely dealt with humans that way. But from what I understood of Hellboy's mind at that moment, he had made the momentary conclusion that Rielle was just as bad as those evil entities… and that bothered me. I wanted to brush it off as a temporary lapse in judgment, but I could not. I had felt the exact same thing.

Lavinia also seemed to feel the same as Hellboy about her best friend. Her eyes were wide in shock and filled with tears, and I did not even have to strain myself to feel the thoughts of betrayal and anger coming off of Lavinia's mind in waves. There was a small part of her that didn't quite believe what her friend was relaying but it was diminishing with every word that came from Rielle's mouth. To Lavinia, it felt like the last decade was a lie, and she was in so much pain.

As usual, I could and would not touch the Professor's mind, but his emotions were written plainly on his face. Even though his mouth was turned down in a grimace, his eyes sparkled in interest. He had suspected something was different about the girl, he'd so much as told me a couple of days ago, but I don't think he expected a secret this extreme. His scientific brain wanted more information, and despite the terrible things he'd heard already, he knew it wasn't the complete story. He was incapable of making a verdict until he had heard the entire story for himself, and even after that, he'd probably do some research first before condemning the girl. I envied him that sense of reasoning.

"Are you sure?" Rielle asked, still hesitant on telling this part of the story. I nodded again. Although disturbing, this part of the story might help the others see that she was not entirely evil and had gone through a lot to get where she was now.

"Okay." I watched her hands shake violently as she reached to the floor for her coffee cup, which was immediately topped up by the Professor. "First, I have to clear up a few things. Abe asked how I could block him like I do. Umm, they trained me for that at CSIS. It was part of the anti-interrogation exercises we went through. If we were ever caught, _nothing_ could be revealed. Really, how many people would actually kill themselves before they're captured? My unit knew the number would be low, and so they took steps to prevent any information from being revealed during interrogation or torture."

She took a sip of her coffee and looked at me. "We were taught how to envision things like brick walls, packs of dogs, fences, whatever barrier we could conjure up. It was very basic. They really didn't think that the enemy had a psychic on their side to pull the facts out of our heads, it was just a basic technique to prevent information gathering. I just took it a bit further."

"I found myself psychics, monks, people like that, to train me. Everyone has the capability but hardly anybody makes use of that potential. I did. I practiced for hours upon hours with these psychics until they couldn't read anything from me anymore, except what I purposely projected. For example, say I had information on how to dismantle a bomb I had planted, and the enemy wanted it. This is just exaggeration to illustrate the point, but say they had a psychic. That psychic's purpose was to get that information out of my head. What I trained myself to do is envision something completely different, like puppies or roses or something fluffy like that, and in the meantime block the real information from leaking out."

That was interesting, I'd heard of that before. "What about kicking me out like you did in the interrogation chamber?"

"That was just another trick I picked up… if someone was trying to force their way into my head, I would envision a brick wall, and them running smack into it… or a giant fist pushing them out, like I did to you. Sorry, by the way."

"Hmm."

"Anyways, that's how I've been kicking Abe out of my head." She breathed deep and had another sip of her coffee. I could tell she was very tired, but she wanted to get this over with. I wanted to test this story out a few more times, but I left her alone.

"So, those guys in the desert got you… then what?" I prompted her. I already knew parts of this story, but for my own verification and to complete the story for the others, she had to tell it. Even so, I was not particularly looking forward to the visuals that no doubt would come pouring out of her head and into mine. Comes with the territory, I suppose.

**Rielle:**

_I don't want to talk about this, goddammit! I don't see how any of this shit is relevant_, I thought as I glanced up at the group again. They all hated me, I could tell. I would too if I were in their position. I couldn't see how this was going to help the situation any. And, to be honest, reliving this crap wasn't very high on my list of fun ways to spend a day either. _And getting mauled by Ackland was fun?_ Good point.

"They put me in the truck, gagged, blinded and cuffed. I was searched, relieved of my weaponry and technical equipment, thrown in the back of the jeep and surrounded by guards. My companions were also searched and robbed of their weapons, but their bodies were left where they were. I don't know if they were ever retrieved, but at the moment it just hurt to see them lying there like garbage.

"We drove back to the compound and they threw me out of the Jeep and dragged me by my… well, they got me inside and took me underground. By now I could think a little better and understand bits and pieces of what they were saying, and it didn't sound all that good. They knew I was there to take them out, but they didn't know why or who ordered the hit. That, they said, is what I would tell them soon enough. What they didn't know is that I really didn't know why the hit was ordered, and only knew that my contact wanted this place destroyed. I didn't know the real name of my contact or how to get in touch with him. I wasn't about to tell them that though, they would have just shot me in the head and been done with it."

I hesitated again. I didn't know why this shit was pertinent; Abe was so sure it was important. I looked to him again, totally lost. _What does this have to do with anything?_ I projected in hopes that he was still listening.

_Just Trust Me, Okay?_ He projected back.

"Abe seems to think this is important so I'll tell you what happened next. They tied me down to a table. My arms, thighs, and neck, were tied to the table with canvas straps. One of them had a needle and took a sample of my blood. At the time I didn't know what for, maybe for DNA identification but I found out pretty damned quick. A man who knew enough English to get by was brought in for basic questioning. It was right out of a cop movie… the good cop and the bad cop." I said with a snort. I memorized what had happened, envisioning his face, his big dark pleading eyes, false through and through. It was laughable then and it was laughable now. "He was asking me these questions in the nicest tone he could muster, trying to persuade me to talk, saying' shit like 'they won't hurt you if you talk' and trying to entice me with water, the usual stuff. After a while they got impatient with me. They… they took… oh fuck, I can't do this." I had to stop. I couldn't tell them. I vainly wished I could project my memory on the wall for them, like a movie. It would be a hell of a lot easier to do that than describe things in detail. I almost asked Abe if that were possible, but it was a silly idea and I discounted it.

My hesitation seemed to have caught Red's attention, as he turned towards me instead of facing partially away from me with his eyes closed like before. Broom was sitting there patiently, and I wished I could see what he was thinking, I envied Abe the ability. Lavinia, I couldn't even look at.

I went on, "They took some basic tools: hammers, spikes, shit like that, and busted a couple of my ribs, played with the bullet holes in my shoulder and leg... threatened to do… stuff to me. Slapped me around a little too. When that didn't work, they brought out the big guns." _And oh boy did I enjoy that_, I thought sarcastically, trying very hard to keep my eyes open, because every time I blinked I saw the ceiling of the room. "They hooked these electrodes to different parts of me, first my head, feet, and then they got to more… sensitive areas."

Lavinia audibly hissed. I knew she could almost feel it. She would, the only one in the room who _could_ sympathize. The men only twitched a little and Abe crossed his legs.

"Again, that didn't work. They got a few screams but that was it. By now they were really pissed." I was trying to make this as short as possible. Frankly I no longer gave a shit what the others thought; all I wanted was a bed and a few hours to use it. "I don't know how long this went on for, the sun wasn't all that visible, the room was dark, and it could have been hours. So yeah, after that they just slapped me around a bit more and threw me in a cell."

I stopped to assess the room, get some reaction. _You're stopping because you a big chicken-shit, that's why._ I had to agree again with my evil brain. They didn't look too happy. I put my head on my knees and continued, "I was there for a few hours licking' my wounds…they weren't as bad as I thought, really, but I couldn't see too well in the dark. It just left me more time to think. I got all hopeful that someone would rescue me, but I knew damned well that nobody would. The only person who knew my location was my contact, and I seriously doubted they'd send anyone after me, after all, agents like me are expendable.

"Okay… well, a few hours later there was some bangin' and crashin', and my cell door opened. The English speaking guy was there and they took me back to the same old' room, got the electrodes ready. That whole deal went on for a few hours, and they got impatient with me again, and brought out the sharp stuff. Another fun filled day for a secret agent." I said with a sarcastic flourish. I lifted my shirt again, not all the way, just up to right under my breasts, and needlessly pointed out the scar running up my torso. "This is part of what they did to me. I remember I said something sarcastic, and a big guy with tattoos on his forehead got out a machete and…I felt them lift my shirt and say something about feeding the dogs, then nothing but pain. The blade sliced through the skin quite easily…"

I knew I was rambling, not making much sense at all, but there wasn't much I could do about that, with the visuals, the shine of the blade reflecting into my eyes and the sensation of warmth running down my sides as they ripped me open. That wasn't exactly something I wanted to tell them about in detail. Abe knew, he could see it and that was enough. I didn't want Lavinia to have nightmares. "I… I could tell that they injected me with some sort of anesthetic, but whatever it was didn't work entirely well. I felt everything, and it took a lot of effort not to scream myself hoarse and tell them everything down to my street address and shoe size. I just tried to keep my mind busy with something else, thinking about the exercises they taught me. That only worked for a while. I remember almost choking on the blood that burst from my throat…but they put this tube in and solved that little problem. They wanted me alive for this. They finished cutting me open, just the skin, really, and…"

"Stop… just stop." A shaky voice whispered.

I was surprised to notice it was Red who told me to stop talking. Up until now he'd kept his mouth shut. It took me a moment, but I finally had the nerve to look at him. I was shocked to see his yellow eyes shine with unshed tears. I couldn't stand it. "Red, don't. I don't deserve it."

Abe huffed, and was about to say something but I interrupted him. "You asked and you're going to get your answer." I said, looking under my eyebrows right at Abe. He sat back into his seat and clasped his hands in his lap. Then I looked at Red, afraid to reach out for him but I did anyways, taking his stone hand in both of mine. Amazingly it was warm, and not as jagged and rough as I thought it would be. "I remember just last night I told you I didn't want to talk about it. Almost threw a hissy fit about it actually. Well, I still don't want to, but I guess I have to anyways. If anything, I have to just to be as honest with you as you and your family has been with me."

I felt wetness on my cheeks and realized I was crying. _Some tough Bond-girl you are._ I mentally smacked myself for that little thought, and let go of Red's hand before going on with the story. "Well, to make a long story even longer… umm, let's just say they did this for a while, and then they left. They kept me there on the table with my entrails exposed to the world and inside I was afraid they'd send in the dogs for a feeding or something. I honestly didn't think I'd live too long so I just shut my eyes and waited. I was bleeding too much to live all that long. Then they brought in the IV equipment, blood bags, and medical supplies so I knew I was fucked."

I went on from there to tell them about the next couple of hours. I left a lot of it out, as what I had already revealed was nasty enough. I didn't want to disgust Red any more than I had, I felt horrible enough already. I didn't want him or the others to feel sorry for me, because I deserved every sting, every cut, for what I had done over those years.

Finally, I got around to the less torturous part. "After a few more hours they put me back in my cell, untied, just left me on the floor. They had to decency to give me a blanket but not much else. Frankly I was worried that if I ate or drank anything it would fall out of my belly, even though I knew I was sewed up. They kept the IV tubes in me though. I guess they didn't want me to bleed out just yet."

I remembered feeling dead. The floor was cold and gritty and it smelled horrid. I remember the tingling burn from the cut on my belly and various other places I didn't tell the group about. I remember wishing I had just shot myself before those assholes got a hold of my gun. But the thing I remembered most was my grandmother's face in my fevered dreams, this time not looking at me like I did something wrong, but instead holding out some water and smiling. Like I had repented for my sins and that maybe she was forgiving me. I knew it was crazy sounding but I told it to the group anyways.

"I don't know how long I was there, I kept passing out, waking up, and passing out again, so it might have been a day or an hour. I just remember the floor shaking." I closed my eyes again, seeing it all. "There must have been a blast, an explosion somewhere on the base. All these footsteps outside my cell, they were all panicking, running towards whatever blew up. I remember feeling all happy like someone sent the army into save me but inside I knew it was something else, nobody was coming for me."

_Finish this_. "I don't know when it happened, but somehow a big hole appeared in one of the walls of my cell and rocks rained down all over me. A grenade, or landmine explosion, maybe. I just saw a big black starry sky and smelled fresh air and knew I had to get out of there. It took me a while but I managed to drag myself to the wall and over it without busting too many stitches."

The cool air outside felt wonderful, I recalled, different than the dank air inside my cell. The wind cooled the sweat on my skin and I never felt anything as wonderful as the loose sand and grass on my back and I slowly crawled further and further away from the room. "There were men everywhere, all fighting each other. I couldn't tell who was fighting whom, really, not in the dark, not all drugged up like I was. I just remember looking around in a haze for some type of transportation. I didn't realize I was pretty much a naked cut up woman dragging her ass across the sand and that sooner or later those guys would notice something like that."

It didn't take them long, actually. They immediately started shooting at me, and amazingly every single bullet missed. "As soon as they fired at me, some other men showed up and shot them all down. I didn't know who these dudes were but they sure as hell didn't work for the Canadian government. Maybe they just helped me out because the other guys wanted to kill me. You know how the saying goes; the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

The men hooked me under the arms and dragged me to a truck and very gently lifted me onto the bed, and left me there while they finished off the guys in the base. To this day, I still don't know who those guys were but I was grateful nonetheless. "I guess our government weren't the only ones unhappy with this group of psychos. At least whomever these men worked for were smart enough to send more than five people to take care of the lot of them. By the time they were finished, the base was nothing but a smoking mass of rock."

**Lavinia:**

I don't know when I got off the chair, or when I moved across the room and sat down on the floor in front of Rielle, but by the time she was telling us about the all out war between the two factions, I was kneeling in front of her trying not to cry.

"Finally, we left. About four guys got in the back of the truck with me and attended to my wounds as best they could in a moving vehicle, and we got the hell out of there. They didn't press me for info or anything; they just let me lay there to stare at the stars. They spoke Farsi as well, but they didn't say much during the drive back to wherever we were going. I was asleep for most of the trip."

Ellie's eyes were bloodshot when she lifted her head and saw me sitting there in front of her. I didn't make a move, just sat there quietly as she stared at me, trying to wheedle out a reaction. I learned a thing or two about her tale and kept my face stony. She sighed and put her head back down.

"I don't remember much of what happened after that. I just remember being interrogated again, but nothing like before, just some simple questions. They took good care of me though. They cleaned my wounds and re-stitched me, and kept me fed and watered. They mostly left me alone though and for that I'll be forever grateful.

It must have been a couple of weeks but I could finally walk around a little, so they sent me in to talk to their superiors. They took me to this nice big white room full of dark men in suits and military garb, and they told me in no uncertain words that they had been contacted by a government official and that someone would be coming to retrieve me soon. I really didn't know what to think about that. What government? What would they do to me? And really, did I care after all that shit I just went through?"

"So, what, some dudes came and took you home?" I asked, curious. I remember when she showed up on my doorstep a couple years back, looking like she had been put through a meat grinder. _Maybe because just a couple weeks before she'd been ripped to shreds by Iranian terrorists_? Man, that sounded crazy.

"No. Not yet, anyways. After another week some obviously Canadian officials showed up and took me away back to Canada. I felt bad that those Iranian dudes that helped me out didn't even get thanked for saving my ass, but at the time all I cared about was getting home. These guys took me back to the CSIS base where I had been trained and I stayed in their medical center for a couple of months. I'm actually surprised that they didn't' just shoot me in the head and leave me in Iran, really. That's what they always told us they would do if just such a situation happened. But I guess they wanted information from me. I had seen the inside of the base, and a few of the guys that got away from that massive slaughter the night I was rescued were people that our government wanted exterminated, but didn't have decent physical descriptions for. That, plus I had heard enough of their plans that our government didn't think it was feasible to put a bullet in me just yet.

"So I told them everything I knew. Well, I told them most of it, but I made sure that they knew I kept a few facts back just in case they were planning on blowing me away. They weren't too happy with me but I saved my own ass that day. After gaining assurances they wouldn't shoot me, I finagled a way for me to retire with my life intact and a bus ticket home. But before they let me go home, they had to have my word that I would never open my mouth about this place or my missions. I gave it willingly, because honestly, I didn't think I'd ever have to tell about it, and really didn't want to. Just to be sure they told me that they'd have people watching me, tapping my phone lines, making sure I didn't go running off to a meeting with terrorists. They threatened my family, my friends, and hell, even my enemies. I gave whatever promises they wanted and they let me go. I went back to Standing Buffalo a few weeks later and ended up at Lavinia's place."

And that's when she showed up at my door all bruised and battered. I remember thinking that some drunken asshole boyfriend must have gone a bit too far and landed her in the hospital, and let her in. Ellie told me some story about a coke habit and a series of asshole boyfriends. She asked if she could stay with me a while until she recovered enough to stand on her own. Not thinking much I said yes. I missed the bitch and had worried a lot about her in the time she was gone. Hell, I even drove her to 'group' sessions in Regina for recovering drug abusers. _I wonder what those really were, a group of secret agents checking on her, like probation officers_?

She hadn't said a word for a full minute. I_ guess that's the end of the story. _I hated sitting there feeling stupid and uninformed, but I kept my mouth shut as Rielle finally broke down and cried. I couldn't help myself, I reached up and dragged her onto the floor with me, holding her tight and stroking her hair. I felt her arms circle around me and she kept saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She sobbed onto my shoulder for a good five minutes while I brushed the knots out of her hair with my fingers and rocked back and forth until she slowed her crying. I didn't' know I was crying too until I saw teardrops on her back.

I truly didn't know how to feel about her. She was my best friend but she was a completely different person than I thought she was not two hours ago. She had killed people for money. She had lied to me these past two years about where she was and what she was doing. She'd seen and done things that I'd only seen in movies, and even then I didn't like very much. If I couldn't take the violence on screen how would I take it for real? How did _she _take it for real? Could I handle what she just told me and come out of it still seeing her as a friend, or would she be some strange creature to me now, someone who had once been my friend but was now just some secret agent. If she lied about something this big, what else had she lied about?

I found myself doubting almost everything she had said to me over the past couple of years, and looking over some incidents that were now partially explainable because of the tale she just told me, like, how she was able to beat up that group of guys that pounced us last August in north central Regina, or how she was able to identify what was so wrong about some of those war movies, like the tactics or the environment or the mentalities, which she almost yelled about during the flicks. It was weird.

Rielle had finished sobbing now and was just curled up almost in my lap, hiccupping and apologizing still. I didn't know what to do. The men were smart and didn't make a move, even though I could tell Red wanted to get off the couch and join in the little sob group on the floor. He didn't though, and for that I was grateful. Right now I could barely handle Ellie.

After a few minutes, Broom shifted and got out of his chair. Abe also stood up and moved around the room. I couldn't tell where but I think he was pacing. Red stayed where he was, he was the only one of the three men I could see. He had moved closer to us but stayed on the couch, bent forward with his elbows on his knees, and he kept his eyes on us two. I wanted to get up and move to another room, his stare was making me just a little bit uncomfortable. I didn't know what to do.

I didn't know Rielle was asleep until Red told me. I looked at her sleeping face on my shoulder and sighed. She could use the nap, after all that shit she just told us. _Actually, so could I_. I didn't fight it when Red hooked his right arm under Rielle and lifted her into his arms. He asked the Professor where he could put her, and Broom just told him to leave her on the couch for now until they could figure out what to do with her. So he did. I stayed on the floor next to her, feeling a little useless but not knowing what else to do either.


	15. Entanglement

A short, sweet, and pointless in between chapter to give me a break from torture scenes and trying to figure out how to wrap this part of the story up. Much thanks to those of you who have waited so patiently.

**Afrieal:** Thank You! Oliver stone would probably kick my ass, but the compliment is well received. Hehe

**Rainne:** Like my email said, that was probably the best review I've ever had on this fiction. You got it down!

**Theshadowcat:** cats do so beg! You should see my deaf cat Cocaine (we didn't name him) follow me around and beg for cat treats, food, whatever… he's a brat.

This chapter is unbetaed (judocat be campin') so pardon the messiness.

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Hellboy:**

Abe eventually walked Lavinia back to their original quarters. It took a lot of promises and a little physical force (actually, it took my right arm and some good yanking) to pry her away from her sleeping friend, but Abe had a touch with women, something about him seemed to calm them down. _Unlike me, I just frustrate the hell out of em. Or scare them half to death… _He pulled her aside and whispered to her for maybe a minute, and Lavinia went with him, clinging to his arm like a child and staring back at her friend until the doors closed behind her

After those two were gone, I made sure Rielle was comfortable and covered her up with the blanket. Father also got out of his chair and did some minor cleaning. I helped him; I didn't want to see him doing menial tasks after the story we just heard. I took over the father role and ushered him off to bed as well, claiming he needed his rest and that I would take care of the place. I don't think I misread his face when he nodded a grateful thank-you and toddled off. That left me alone with the sleeping Secret Agent and a migraine.

I was done clearing the cups out of the way by the time Abe came back in, happy to have had something to do with my hands besides carrying out my previous plan of running down to Med Lab and pounding the hell out of Tanner and Ackland. Despite the horrible things Rielle told us she did, nobody deserved the sort of torture she received. But no, I had to behave myself for once, and take care of the people around me, and for tonight, that was Ellie. My palms itched though and I did my best to ignore them until I could get to the gym and beat on something inanimate.

With a heavy sigh Abe checked on the girl, gently lifting her injured hand into his and watching her reactions. "The painkillers are working; she's out like a light."

I nodded, "Good. How's Vinny?"

"Worn out, very angry, and yet sympathetic. She forgives easily despite the betrayal and the hard front she puts up." Abe put Ellie's hand down and wandered behind Pop's desk. "I almost had to drug her to make her stay in her room though. She really didn't want to leave Rielle's side."

"I don't blame her; they've been friends for almost as long as we have." I said, plonking myself down in a nearby chair.

"True." Abe glanced at the couch again and frowned. "I need a drink."

My head shot up, surprised. Abe looked like shit, but hearing him say something that I would normally say was sort of scary. Not that he didn't drink at all, in fact he was hilarious when he was drunk, but in general that would happen only after I bugged him until he submitted. "Want one?"

"Sure" is all I could say. Abe looked through the books and found what he was looking for, a bottle of scotch I didn't even know about. When he saw my look, he laughed.

"A benefit of having a window into this office, I've seen where the Professor stashes his booze when he thinks I'm not looking."

Abe dug up a couple of short glasses and poured a stiff drink for us both. Handing one to me, he sat cross-legged on the floor close to Rielle and took his collar off, dumping it on the carpet without a thought and placing the bottle of scotch within reach.

"So what do you make of this?" I asked after a minute. Abe would know what was going on in Ellie's head better than anyone, including her best friend. That and he hadn't voiced any opinion on Rielle since she told us her story.

Abe leaned back against the seat of the chair behind him, downing his drink in one shot. He shook his head a little at the burn but poured another one, and refilled my glass. "I'm not sure. I know she's full of regret, pain, but also pride and love. She knows what she did, and she's learned a lot from it. I guess the main question is: what do _you_ think of her? Because that, and what Lavinia thinks, is what is utmost in her mind right now, besides getting shot in the head when she wakes up."

_She cares what I think? NOBODY cares what I think!_

_What _do_ I think?_

Abe smiled knowingly. "Don't worry; she won't wake up for a while, so you have time to form an opinion."

"You never told me yours."

"Yes I did."

"No, you read her head. Big difference."

Abe frowned again. "I think she deserves another chance. I think she regrets her decisions and has tried to make up for them, and I like that… and I think she will redeem herself fully if given the opportunity."

"I still can't believe someone that tiny is so scary." I said without thinking, glancing over at the raven-haired girl curled on my father's couch.

"I know. And she knows it too. I felt her reaction when you backed away from her, and needless to say she wasn't overjoyed."

_Yeah, well one moment she's the best lookin' drinking buddy I've had in years, the next she's cold-hearted killer, just as scary as some of the spooks I've dealt with… _

"Smooth move, by the way." Abe interjected while peering at me over the rim of his half empty glass.

_What? _

_Damn. He knows._

"Oh shut up, what do you know?" I glared at him, daring him to say what we were both thinking.

He just grinned.

"Tell anyone and I'll rip your gills off."

* * *

**Rielle:**

I don't know how long I was out this time, but when I became aware of my surroundings, I realized my face hurt, my eyes burned and my hand throbbed like a bastard. I was still in Broom's office, cocooned in a heavy blanket and apparently splayed out on one of the couches near the fireplace, head propped up on a hard pillow. My neck ached a bit.

I looked around me and saw Abe floating around in his tank, probably asleep. Hard to tell really, he just wasn't moving much. The fire was out, popping a little, heat still coming off of it, but no flames. I loved the smell of the wood smoke and inhaled it as much as I could.

"Ellie?" A deep and sleepy voice mumbled from above me. Only then did I realize it wasn't a pillow my head was on, it was Red's leather-covered thigh. I felt his hand move down and stroke my hair like a kitten. I envied cats the ability to purr.

_Wait, why is he touching me? Wait. Why am I on his lap? Ugh, never EVER let Abe inject you with stuff again. Ever. _

"How are you feeling?" Asked Hellboy, mid-hairstroke.

I turned my body so I was facing up, rubbing my cheek after having it stick to Red's pants for who knows how long. "Do I have leather marks in my cheek?"

I looked up into his golden eyes and tried to grin at him. He looked so tired.

His hand moved from my hair to my cheek and pretended to smooth it out. "Nope. Not anymore."

"Good, cause I forgot my iron at home." _That was the drugs talking! Honest!_

His entire body shook with laughter, jolting me around where I lay. I couldn't help but laugh with him. I could feel it vibrate though him and down into my feet. _Somehow after all this, he still finds a way to make me laugh. Strange guy._

I wiggled around to make myself comfortable and cradled my buggered hand across my chest. The couch was nice and squishily comfortable and I wished I had one like this at home.

_Yeah, and a warm leather thigh to lie on when you want it, right?_

_Shut up, brain! _I fought back, blaming my thoughts on the drugs.

Red resumed petting my hair like a kitty and I shut my eyes again. It felt so nice to have someone being gentle to me for once, I didn't want to spoil it by talking, let alone asking why I wasn't in solitary confinement bound and gagged waiting for the Canadian government to come pick me up. Or asking why Hellboy was sitting here being sweet when before he looked like he'd run off screaming if I so much as tried to touch him. I didn't want to think about it, so I shut my eyes.

I don't know when Hellboy shifted our positions; I must have dozed off again. When I woke, I was on my right side, face to neck with Red. His chin was digging into the top of my head, but it wasn't painful. His goatee tickled my forehead. By some miracle we both fit on the couch, although Red was twisted funnily and his feet were hanging of the edge. He must have felt me wake up because his yellow eyes opened at the same time, and he leaned his head back a little to look at me.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Straw." I whispered back.

Nothing more was said. I looked at him, and he looked at me. I think we were trying to figure out what the other was thinking, but it wasn't working. Too bad Abe wasn't in on this too.

_Threesome!_ Squealed my warped mind.

I was happy for the moment, happy in the fact that Red didn't require talk as we lay. Happy that the pain in my right hand wasn't as bad as it used to be, and that now it lay between me and Red, safe from being jostled, very protected. Happy that for the first time in years, I felt like I was free.

Then again, I wasn't exactly free yet. Well, I didn't know if I was or not. I hated having to think that telling my story lifted a weight off my shoulders, because it was so cliché... but honestly, it did feel like that.

Now the only thing to deal with is the consequences of breaking my silence. Thinking about it though, I would rather do that than keep the secrets locked up any longer. All they did is hurt the people I loved, and messed with my dreams.

I had no clue whether or not Broom would have me arrested, locked away, or just banished from the BPRD and the United States. I knew in my heart he would not have me executed, and would fight like mad to prevent it from happening if Tanner or his associates tried to have it done.

Would CSIS come after me? For that matter, would Broom spread what I had divulged to him? If he didn't, CSIS might not find out that I talked, and I might be safe. That is, if Tanner could be convinced to keep his fat mouth shut.

_Too many risks. I should have kept silent_.

_No. You did the right thing. These people will protect you_.

_Protect me? They need protection FROM me!_

How would Lavinia react next time I saw her? I know she held me when I finally broke down last night (or was that this morning... the hours have no meaning right now), but would she, after a few hours to think, do the same again? Would she ever confide in me, look me in the eye and call me a bitch, or even come out for a simple night at a blues club with me again?

I looked up at Red, who appeared to be asleep again, resting his right hand gently around my waist, one finger on my spine. I don't know when my shirt rode up but I remember feeling him tracing it up and down, keeping it respectful but at the same time curious. _Stone against flesh doesn't feel as nasty as it sounds._ His face was peaceful, relaxed, with a small smile on his lips. _If I had a camera right now..._

Would he treat me as a friend after tonight? He had been nice to me in the past couple of hours, but that could easily be blamed on exhaustion and the scotch I could smell on his breath. Then again my head was on his lap at one point, and he would have had to be the one to put me there. Maybe in his heart he's forgiven me my sins. I hoped so, because I don't think I could see that pain in his eyes again without sobbing.

_Quit thinking and go to sleep_.

_Good idea for once, brain! _I decided to ignore everything for a few hours and enjoy being here, now. If it weren't for the circumstances this would be perfection. A warm fire, a warm man, nice aquarium (with another warm man), comfy couch, and head still sort of woozy from drugs and events… like being pleasantly drunk.

Perfection… until Hellboy started snoring.

* * *

A few hours later a meek hand slightly touching my shoulder woke me up. I noticed immediately that Red's arm was still firmly around my waist, and that there was something wrapped around my left calf. I opened my eyes and blinked at the sudden light. I was happy that I had a dreamless rest, and looked over my shoulder to see who woke me.

I was greeted with a rather bedraggled yet amused professor Broom, whose hair was all fuzzy and unkempt and whose glasses were perched crooked on his nose. He was still in a robe and pajama bottoms too. In his left hand was a small steaming teacup while his right remained lightly on my shoulder.

"I would offer you coffee, my dear but it appears you're…" his sleep-roughened voice caught for a moment, "rather tied up."

He pointedly glanced left and down where my legs were, so I lifted my head and looked too. _Tied up is right._ Red's tail somehow coiled itself around my leg, and when I experimentally moved it, the coil tightened. Not enough to cut off circulation but an adequate amount of pressure to keep me still.

I couldn't help but give Broom a sleepy grin. "Let me guess, he won't let me go for a while, huh?"

Broom didn't bother answering, just walked away chuckling into his tea and shaking his head.

I spent the next few minutes trying to free myself. At fist I couldn't have cared less, I liked where I was, snug and warm, but now that I knew I couldn't move, I _had_ to.

My first attempt, trying to lift Red's right arm off of me, resulted in realizing just how weak I am in comparison, and getting hugged so tight I literally squeaked. The next attempt consisted of prying his fingers off one by one and at the same time, wiggling my leg to hopefully get away from the tail, but he only grumbled, shifted, and almost rolled on top of me. I gave up after that to save my pride.

A couple minutes later my bladder tightened with the overwhelming need to pee, and I could have cried right there. Broom just laughed harder.

_Groan._

Already partly through writing chapter 15, so the next update shouldn't be two months away. Haha. Once again, thanks for reading and putting up with my slow updates.


	16. detainments and melonheads

**I've been feeling a little perky, yet tired lately, so this chapters a little of both screwiness and drama. The next chapters already halfway done… heheh I love inspiration. R&R, it makes me squeal like a girl. Again, a mostly unbeta'd chapter, as judocat (telepiel) is still camping. So I got mom to read over it. Haha. Don't worry, she's pretty warped.**

_Rainne: I thought I was the only one who used the word Squee. :D_

_Beth: I see terry cloth for some reason. Dark blue or black. Heh. _

_Theshadowcat: so, where the hell's MY CHOCOLATE then? LOL._

_note: been having a bitch of a time getting Abe's thoughts to Rielle bolded, dammit. His Thoughts Are Typed Like This... so if it doesn't go through right, at least you'll know. stupid ffnet sometimes. grr_

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Rielle:**

Two Hours Later… 

Abe, Broom and I were sitting around in the office again, waiting for Hellboy to come back from a shower and a change of clothes. He was ordered to bring Lavinia as well for breakfast/discussion, but that was half an hour ago. I was almost tempted to look for them, but the oak door scared me. Well, no, what was outside of that door scared me.

When Red finally woke up a while ago, his hold on my leg and waist loosened immediately. I would have laughed if I weren't promptly gasping for breath. He apologized and checked on my injuries even after repeated assurances that I was fine. After that he pretty much kept quiet, all but the stretch that cracked bones and the yawn that shook the walls and woke Abe up. A cup of coffee later and he was out the door to shower and fetch Vinny. I couldn't help but notice that the tension was back between us, although lessened by our closeness during sleep. He didn't say more than five words to me.

_What, you expected everything would get better overnight?_

While we waited Broom and I discussed the Norse Pantheons and I was more than a little surprised to learn that many of the old gods were still around in one form or another. I wasn't really a religious person, but the mythology was interesting nonetheless. Abe interjected before Broom could explain more and told a rousing tale about the BPRD's encounter with a physical incarnation of Loki that had me in tears of laughter within minutes.

Lavinia and Hellboy showed up in the middle of the story and Red jumped right in to supplement. Vinny just gave me a strange look and sat down, trying to catch on to what the guys were talking about. I just shrugged, wiped my eyes and listened to them argue about who Loki was more pissed at, while Broom shook his head like a beleaguered parent.

It was cool, like last night never happened, like we were old friends having breakfast together and nothing bad had ever happened. I knew it wouldn't last but I tried to enjoy it while I could. The only person who felt 'off' was Lavinia, who kept giving me sidelong glances and kept her mouth shut except to take coffee and pastries from Broom.

A few pots of coffee and tea were consumed before matters turned more serious. Inside I was screaming for a cigarette and some fresh air (an oxymoron, I know), but I couldn't ask for one, not now. Anyways, who knows what my status was outside of this room? For all I knew, as soon as I stepped foot outside this room I'd be shot on sight. _Thank the gods this office has a bathroom._

**Broom:**

As the boys chattered and argued, the girls remained relatively silent, observing the chaos that always occurred when those two got to fighting. I put a stop to it when it got down to petty name calling, and the boys listened immediately… except my son whacked Abraham on the back of his head with his tail before seating himself on the chair near the girls.

_Boys… I still call them boys, and they're both grown men and taller than me…_I smiled inside. They may be bigger but even Abraham could act like a four year old when provoked enough, and who better to bring that on than my own adopted son?

I did not need to be psychic to feel the string of tension between Miss Cyr and Miss Asaiken. I only hoped that the problems between the two former best friends could be resolved quickly, I could tell the distance hurt Rielle quite a bit. But realistically, the betrayal was significant and I knew Lavinia would not forgive it completely. They may be friends again, but the lie was bad enough that I didn't think they would ever be as close as they once were. Love is one thing, trust is something completely different. You can love somebody to death but trust is something that needs to be earned and kept up. Rielle had a lot of work ahead of her.

I felt a pang of regret for ever bringing those two girls into the base. I discounted it quickly though. Better that the secret came out here amongst allies than somewhere else with enemies. _Didn't stop the torture even so._

Matters were discussed over yet another pot of coffee, mostly the consequences of last night's 'incident' with Ackland. Rielle was understandably concerned over what would happen to Abe for doing what he did to Ackland, a man who was high enough in military rank to command respect. I explained to the group that before I went to bed last night, I contacted a few of my 'people' and argued my way through to not having Abe executed immediately. The government was not happy with what happened to Ackland and the situation with Miss Cyr, but I convinced them to let me deal with Abe myself, that he was an integral part of our operation and could not be done without.

The group was visibly relieved, Abe himself included. What everyone but me failed to notice is Lavinia's hand firmly grasping his. I don't think she even noticed. The picture in my mind of the redhead and the fish-man was now firmly planted and I was glad he made a friend, even if he didn't know it yet.

'The Rielle Situation' as I called it was a little more complicated. Unfortunately, Tanner spoke to the government officials before I did, and must have sent them some mixed messages which was enough to get them interested. Predictably they were doing their own research and would likely find out some of what she told us all last night, but to what extent, I didn't know or care to even think about right now. It wouldn't take long though; even to get around the obvious lies Tanner told them. Rielle would likely be considered a danger to society and be locked away, or sent back to her own country to be dealt with accordingly. Either option did not please me.

When I spoke with them, they asked that both women be detained until further notice, until they figured out what to do with a rogue agent and an innocent civilian. They also promised to keep their mouths shut and their investigation as much a secret as possible, but I knew that no matter how careful they were, some outside agencies would have the technology and/or the power to discover what they were researching. But that would have to be dealt with later.

Until then, I supposed that it was my responsibility to care for Rielle and Lavinia and I would do so without any misgivings.

After I explained this to the children, Lavinia protested.

"We're being detained?" She shot off her chair and began pacing. "You mean I'll have to sit in a jail cell?"

I shook my head in the negative. "No, you can stay in your old room. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just that your affiliation with Agent… _Miss_ Cyr has put you under suspicion. It won't take long to clear your name, and after that I'm sure you'll be free to leave."

Lavinia glared openly at Rielle, who had her head firmly planted in her hands and stared at the floor. Lavinia just shook her head and kept pacing until Abe laid a calming hand on her and led her back to her seat. I could be mistaken but I may have heard her growl.

I could barely hear the regretful whisper from Rielle when she asked, "What about me?"

Sighing, I answered as best I could. "I can't tell you that yet. I'm not the one to make that decision, but when it's made…" I sincerely didn't know how to finish that sentence so I left it hanging.

"Yeah. Okay." She said, sounding thoroughly defeated.

The answer was given about an hour later, but not by official government endorsement.

Miss Asaiken was sent off to retrieve some more of the women's belongings from their apartment in town. By Tanner's orders, two heavily armed guards were sent with her, as a security precaution he claimed. Now having been released from the Medical lab he was in vengeance mode, and I could hear his anger over the phone as we discussed how to get this done to both of our liking. Thankfully he was distracted by something 'urgent' and had to end the call.

Before Lavinia left, Rielle timidly asked me if she could bring her car here for safekeeping, just in case. I agreed, as there was plenty of room in the mechanical bay to host her vehicle, and ample security to keep it safe. She seemed much attached to it so I had no problem approving that. Even Lavinia stated no objections, for she must have known her friends love for her car and quite possibly shared it. There was the unmistakable glint of lust in her eyes when Rielle asked her to drive it here.

She was gone less than half an hour before Tanner burst through my door with a few soldiers in tow and a smug grin on his face. Thankfully Hellboy had gone to the gym to work out; I shuddered to think what could have happened had he been present.

Rielle was currently 'using the facilities', so it was just Abe and I in the room when Tanner stomped in, ordering his soldiers to fan out and find the girl.

Abe's anger rivaled mine. I didn't have time to open my mouth before Abe was on his feet demanding an explanation.

Tanner just grinned wider. "This may be the Professor's office,_ freak_, but this is my base. I can walk where I choose. Now, where is Agent Cyr?"

I firmly chided myself for thinking about taking Tanner's knees out with my cane. I couldn't have done it anyways. Something small but fast flew out and hit Tanner right between the eyes, knocking him back a few steps. Guns were raised at the girl standing across the room with her arms crossed and a look of pure hatred on her face. A dark voice emanated from her as she coldly addressed Tanner.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If I ever hear you or anyone here call him a freak again, it doesn't matter what you do to me, I'll bust your mother-fucking head open like an overripe melon."

I believed her. Apparently so did Tanner.

**Rielle:**

_Guess he doesn't like being threatened… too bad._

Tanner's men promptly had me on the floor and my arms cuffed behind my back. I could hear Broom and Abe protesting my treatment but I couldn't see what they were doing, as my nose was firmly planted in the plush carpet. I idly wondered if I could get rug burn from all the carpet action I'd been getting in the past couple of days. _Too bad it's not the right kind of carpet action, huh Ellie?_

I heard Tanner's voice rise above the yelling of the soldiers and the loud arguments coming from my friends. "Interfere with this and I'll have this _freak_-show shut down for good! Now back off, Doctor Sapien before I have you arrested."

He amplified the word _freak_ just to piss me off, I knew it. I couldn't bust his head open like I wanted to so I growled at him instead. _Be still now, get vengeance later._

"You have no right to do this." Broom argued. I wish I could see his face. Tanner's loafers backed away from my face and turned to the right, presumably to face off with the Mad Hatter.

I could hear them bantering back and forth but for some reason their voices dimmed… just enough to let one single thought through.

_**Distract Him For Me Rielle**, _came a soft voice at the back of my mind, and I lifted my head off the floor to watch Abe take a cautious step towards Tanner. I didn't even bother asking why he asked such a strange thing, but I knew Abe wouldn't do anything to endanger me. Strangely enough I trusted ol' Fishboy.

"Hey Tanner," I spoke up, causing Tanner to get his attention off of Broom and onto me. "How's your nose?" I asked with a smug grin that made him turn bright red.

Abe took another step closer to Tanner as his back was turned, I saw him silently reach a hand out to touch him, or at least get close enough to get a full reading.

_**Nice… Keep Going**._

Abe's hand hovered barely an inch away from Tanner's cheap suit-jacket, and I wondered why the soldiers surrounding me didn't say anything.

_**They Don't Like Him Either…**_

Tanner ordered the soldiers to bring me to my feet. They grabbed the chain on my cuffs and lifted me up so I was eye level to the balding bureaucrat. I plastered a sadistic grin on my face and stared him in the eye.

"What? Want a repeat of last night?" I twitched forward a little like I was going to head butt him again, and I could tell it took all of Tanner's strength not to jump back. Luckily he didn't or he would have felt Abe.

I leaned forward just a little more, as far as the soldiers behind me would allow, and went almost nose to nose with Tanner. "I could bite that smashed piece of cartilage right now if I wanted to…" Then I snapped my teeth like a dog. This time Tanner did jump but by now Abe had removed his hand and stepped back.

Abe gave me a wink so I backed down. He looked an inch away from smirking outright.

"Get this bitch out of here." Tanner ordered, shaking himself a little before stalking away with me and the soldiers behind him. I gave a questioning look to Abe as I passed him and he gave me a smile that said absolutely nothing. Damn him.

_**Just Be Good For A While, We'll Find A Way To Get You Out.**_

_I heard his threat. If freeing me endangers you or the others, don't do it. _Tanner had threatened to close the BPRD down, and although I wasn't clear on what the BPRD was exactly, I knew that it would severely affect HB and Abe. I would NOT allow that to happen.

_**It Won't. It May Take A Couple Of Days, But We'll Free You. I Have A Plan**._

By then I was out the door, unable to see Abe's face but hearing him just fine in my head. _Good Luck._ I sent as a final thought. I didn't think Tanner would make it easy for them, but I'd underestimated my fish-buddy before.

**Abe:**

_YES! I got him! _I could have cheered aloud if it weren't for seeing the Professor standing there red as a beet and shaking with pure hatred for Tanner. He actually looked like a little old Hellboy at that moment; I suppressed a grin at the imagery. Seeing the Professor with horns would be too much.

"I should have done it, I should have done it…" he was mumbling so quietly I had to strain to hear him.

"Done what?"

The Professor looked sharply at me and I was assailed with a vision of an insane Dr. Broom taking out Tanner's knees with his cane, then proceeding to beat him mercilessly with it. I could not help it this time, I started laughing. Even Broom cracked a little smile and his color paled just a little.

"That man, if you can rightly call him that, deserves worse." Broom stated as he leaned on his cane and walked to his desk.

"He'll get it." I reassured him. Karma and all. I was not a firm believer in karma but once in a while I really wished it was real. If anyone deserved an ass-kicking by a senior citizen, it was Tanner.

I watched as Broom dug through his books, and finding what he was looking for, turned and gave me a squinty eyed look. _Drat. _

Instead of yelling at me, Broom shrugged and said, "I knew you would find it one day." He poured us both a stiff drink from his half empty bottle of old scotch and handed me one. It _was_ a little early, but if he needed the support, I'd get as plastered as he wanted.

I found myself wondering why my thought processes had changed so much in the past week or so. Ever since the two women showed up, I realized I'd 'loosened' up a little. Here I was drinking, _again_, without provocation from Hellboy. I'd also stood in front of a man who was at least twice my size and reduced him to tears, all in defense of someone I really was not sure about, and although I've done some interesting and quite dangerous things in my life here with the BPRD, this seemed… different. What else would happen to me while these girls were here?

Frankly I couldn't wait to find out.

"So, what did you read off of Tanner?" Asked Broom, peering at me from under his bushy white eyebrows and a smirk hidden by the glass.

I sorted through the information I got from Tanner and related the most important points quickly. "First off, he has a rather annoying case of hemorrhoids that has been making him irritable."

I paused as Broom choked on his scotch. He waved a hand at me to continue as he coughed. I shrugged. "Okay. Second, he plans on selling Rielle to the highest bidder before the government can do anything about it. He really wants out of this particular subdivision of the government, and is willing to switch sides if the price is right. He sees Rielle as an opportunity to do so."

"That son of a bitch," said a grumble from behind me. I'm surprised I didn't feel him come in; his presence was as loud as they came. Hellboy took the bottle from his father and chugged the rest. He looked rather angry despite his recent workout. A quick read told me he already knew about Rielle being dragged away in cuffs, a piece of news he didn't even have to intimidate a guard for.

Broom didn't even seem to care that his son pretty much chugged a very expensive bottle of scotch and burped right in front of him.

"So, you gonna tell me what the plan is?" Red nudged me with his right hand, obviously stating that I damned well better tell him.

Just to keep him in suspense I answered, "Nope," in the aloof tone he hated so much. Broom chuckled at us again and looked at his empty glass sadly. "But we must move quickly if we want Rielle to stay alive for more than 48 hours." _I can think of a few governments who'd love to get their hands on her._

* * *

_thanks for reading!_


	17. nipples and chicken

_Yo. Someone pointed out Abe and how weird he's been acting. Which is true, he has been acting weird… for the movie Abe. The comic Abe, on the other hand was much more kung fu, straight up, fighty… I didn't hate him in the movie, I just found him to be a complete wuss. He doesn't take shit in the comics. That's why he's a little weird in here. He's a warrior, and although the movie doesn't portray him as one, the comics did. He got as down and dirty as Red did, but, well, with a little more class. I'll try to keep an eye on what I make Abe do, but I will remain writing him as a warrior. Ol' Blue deserves no less. _

_Ps: Got a new Beta, say hello and thank you so much to Rainne! You have her to thank for me making this chapter semi-readable. hehehe_

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Lavinia:**

My 'escorts' finally left once I was back in my old room with a guard just outside the door. Those bastards didn't leave me alone the entire time we were at the apartment, not even when I had to get some more 'personal items' from the bathroom. I saw them smirk when I grabbed my tampons, the jerks. _Yah, I'll make you bleed for five days and see how you like it motherfuckers._ Instead of saying it I just glared at them and stuffed the box in my backpack.

Out of spite, I almost left Rielle's things there, unpacked… but something inside told me I was being an unreasonable bitch, so I packed her a couple of bags. And just to piss off the escorts, I forced them to help me carry the bags back downstairs and into The Big Bastard's small trunk. As retaliation, one of them sat in the passenger seat on the way back and bitched about my driving habits, while the other pretty much tailgated me the entire time. What, they thought I'd go all renegade and speed away, going all 'movie car chase' on em? I could barely drive straight, let alone do all that crazy shit. Again, jerks. At least he didn't scratch the paint; Rielle would have their balls as earrings if she saw so much as a fleck of paint missing from her baby.

I slammed my bag down on the bottom bunk of the bed and climbed up to the top, trying not to think of the girl who SHOULD have been there arguing with me over whose right it was to have the better bed. I still didn't know if I wanted to slap her around a little or give her the biggest hug I could.

One side of me said: She pissed me off so much! She lied to me!

The other side of me retaliated: She did it to protect me, and she finally came clean. And from what Abe told me last night as he tucked me in, she regretted the whole thing.

_Abe…_

Now that dude was confusing. The past couple of days, while things have been complete shit for me, he'd been there to take care of me. He explained things, stopped me from getting all violent, told me straight up instead of covering things. He was gentle with me, but from what I could see he was all muscled like a fighter who could even take down Uncle Maurice. He could read minds but his own was full of doubt and nervousness. I could tell whenever he was around me, he was nervous. He'd turn a darker shade of blue, which I found funny and sort of cute. I don't think he even noticed when I took his hand earlier. How a guy with a brain like that could be so dense was beyond me.

I smiled as I stared at the roof. _I still can't believe he tucked me in…_ I laughed aloud, remembering Abe literally pulling the blanket tight over me and tucking it under the mattress until I could barely move.

_You like him, admit it. _

_Oh shut it. _

To get my mind off strange fish men, I rolled off my bunk and landed on the floor. _May as well unpack a little, I'll be here a while… stupid Ellie._ I felt like a kid, thinking that way, but I couldn't help it! It was her fault I was stuck here instead of my nice warm bed with fresh air coming through my window.

I rooted through one of the bags and found an old photo album, finding a picture of Rielle and me sitting around with a group of grass-dancers and grinning from ear to ear. I really wanted to tear the photo in half.

_Grow up and deal with it, Vinny,_ I told myself. Hell, things could be a lot worse. I could have been thrown into a solitary confinement like Ellie was right now, according to what my door-guard told me. I could be in a jail cell with a bunch of overweight horny women who had a thing for skinny redheaded Indians. The image made me giggle.

"That would be frightening, to say the least."

Abe's voice right behind me made me jump and bonk my head on the metallic frame of the bunk above me. "Sonofafuckinbitch!" I yelped.

Abe looked a little shocked but he inspected my head anyways. "Sorry about that. I just wanted to check on you."

"Well, I have a headache now, other than that I'm all good." I liked the feeling of his hands in my hair. _Oh shit he probably heard that._

Satisfied that my brains weren't falling out the back of my head, Abe looked me in the eye. I knew he was running around there in my mind but right now I didn't give a shit.

"By the way, I didn't mean you, I meant the bed." _Don't think about ripping all that neoprene off of him and licking him from head to toe._

_Oh shit! Shut up brain! _What the hell was wrong with me? My brain seemed to know damned well it could make a fool out of me and was trying it's hardest to do just that. I promised myself a few days of action movies to suppress its outbursts.

"Thank you for clarifying." He took a seat next to me after moving one of the large backpacks out of the way. If he heard my thoughts he was polite enough not to show any reaction. _Thank goodness._ Leaning over he saw the photo album I held and asked to see it.

I handed it over and watched him flip through some of the pages, asking questions now and then, but mostly just running his fingers over the pictures. Once in a while he'd grin, or frown, or just laugh out loud, giving me what I interpreted as a _damn you're insane_ look, especially with the picture of me and Ellie on top of the Moose Jaw Moose… a tourist-drawing 40 foot fake moose. It was hard to make out his expressions when his eyes were covered with those goggles.

He stopped at the old photo of my Kokum. "Who's this?"

I told him, and he very carefully took the picture out of its protective covering and handled it like it would fall apart. It was a bit yellowed, but it was pretty old, taken when she was around 30. I looked a little like her now, except the red hair. We even had the same impish grin.

"You look like her."

"Yeah, we even act alike. She taught me how to swear when I was four. I was the most foul-mouthed kid in school."

_Does he have nipples?_ Out of nowhere came that question in my head. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened at the stray thought, just thinking about it… and it didn't help when Abe busted out laughing. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

If possible I turned even redder and hid my face in a pile of clothes. _Just shoot me. _

Abe got himself under control enough to dig me out of the pile of clothes behind me. He put an arm around my shoulder and his voice reassured me as I tried not to cry. "Don't worry yourself; you should hear some of the strange questions about me I pick up just walking down the hall here."

Curious, I asked what kinds of questions. I shouldn't have. He told me about this new girl whose first thought was, "If he had babies, would they be guppies?" I had the visual of all these baby fish with human heads and turned bright red.

We giggled like a couple of kids over that one. After a few more goofy questions, I was calm enough not to rebury my head in the bed like the ostrich in those Bugs Bunny cartoons. _Dude would make a good therapist._ Together we went through a few more pictures, and I told him a few fun stories behind them, trying as best I could to avoid thinking about my best friend currently sitting somewhere alone in a cell.

Abe must have caught that thought as he stopped flipping through the pages. _I'll have to get Ellie to teach me that Jedi mind shit she learned from CSIS._

"Lavinia," he took my hands into his and faced me cross-legged on the bed, even though he had to duck a little, "Are you still angry with her?"

_YES! _My mind screamed. But at the same time I couldn't help but think of those old photos, and the stupid shit we used to do together, before and after her adventures as a secret agent. Sure, she was a little different when she came back, but hell, we still had a lot of fun, and she still helped me through some rough times. I owed her my forgiveness even if I didn't feel it fully.

"What rough times?" Abe's head tilted a little bit.

"What, you don't know already?" I didn't mean to sound so sarcastic, but hey, mind reader.

"Some things I'd rather hear verbally."

I groaned. Now was not the time. "I'll tell you later, when things settle down a bit."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Abe hugged me then. It was strange, and I narrowly avoided a nasty bump on the head from his respirator thing, but it felt good all the same. He was warmer than I thought. He ran a hand through my hair again and I resisted the sudden urge to yell 'Wanna paddle my canoe?" Thank goodness I didn't think it too loud. _Do thoughts have volume levels?_

"Yes."

_SHIT! Wait; what question was that an answer to?_

Without answering, he left, saying he had a plan for getting Rielle out of trouble, and asked for my help. I agreed after a minute of thinking The petty part of me wanted her to sit in there for a while but the good honest part of me told me to quit being such a baby and help my best friend.

Abe gave me one last smile before shutting the door behind him. _Confusing, strange, and dense as hell…_

I laughed myself to sleep that night over the thought that I had a crush on a fish man. Kokum would shit herself.

**Hellboy:**

_I love MSN,_ I thought with a smile. _Instant advice from my best friends across the world, and no long distance phone charges to bother Pop with._

I told Liz what'd been happening around here lately. Not everything, just the gist, the important stuff. Like one of the new girls being a secret agent and Abe's new drinking habit. She laughed her ass off quite a bit after I told her about Rielle busting Tanner's nose. She always hated him.

At the same time, it was strange. We used to talk all the time about everything. Now, well…. I don't know. I felt like keeping things back from her. I didn't want to open my heart to her as much as I once did. I loved Liz to death, she was my best friend. We even kissed once. And it was really, really _REALLY_ good.

But then she took off to the other side of the world just to get the hell away from me. Any guy would take that as a horrendous ego blow and I sure as hell did. Her explanation? "I just need to get away for a while to clear my head."

_Yah, sure_. You can clear your head with meditation, not a year-long 'hiatus' in Australia, or Singapore, or wherever she happened to be that that time.

I hated to admit it, but it hurt. That one minute she would kiss me and run like hell to get away from me the next. I knew what I looked like. I knew what I did for a living, and although it was a little strange being around me, people dealt with it. Pop dealt with it. The guards, the doctors, they all dealt with it. Hell, even Rielle dealt with it and I'd known her for what - five days? Why couldn't Liz?

_Great idea, Red. After all the shit this week, go and get yourself even MORE depressed by thinking about stuff that ain't ever gonna happen._

I looked around my room, what Lavinia called the 'jail cell with cats'... and felt closed in. Liz could travel the world whenever she pleased. I was stuck in here until some big nasty came along, and even then I was confined to a crate, and carefully watched when out of it.

_So, one short little jaunt outside your room is nothing, really…_

Next thing I knew I was yelling at a guard outside of the prison section of the base, trying to get inside. This place had all sorts of creatures imprisoned here… demons, lizard chicks, miniature dragons… I think the leprechaun died last year, I wasn't sure. And Rielle. I could only imagine the things she'd been hearing since she was thrown in there this morning.

Once I finally got past the guards with the threat of immediate bodily harm, I walked down the hall, looking at the numbers and names on each door. On the right, second cell in, something was screaming in a language even I couldn't identify offhand. In a way I wish Abe were with me so I could tell if he was pissed off or just crazy.

I found cell number 17 and stopped. I couldn't hear anything coming from inside, so Rielle was either asleep or just very, very quiet. I had the sudden vision of opening the door and being attacked by a raving madwoman. I hesitated before punching the code into the terminal next to the lock and opened the door a crack.

The first thing that hit me was the smell. _Christ, what is that?_ No human could make that much smelly stuff in the one day Rielle had been in there. I wondered if they ever cleaned these cells out. _Even my room doesn't smell this bad and I have cats!_

The second thing I noticed was how dark and moist it was. The moisture just made it smell worse.

I could only imagine what was going through her head… especially after the story she told us earlier. I wondered if this cell was better or worse than the one in Iran.

Finally I saw Ellie.

"Fresh fry bread, prairie winds, good lookin' Cree boys, the Whorehouse Blues, campfires, Koko Taylor, muscles, strong coffee, Doritos, thunderstorms, NOS, motor oil, bad porn, buffalo meat, sweet-grass, wood-smoke, satin…"

I peered through the dark to see Rielle pacing back and forth against the far wall of the cell, rambling.

She looked like hell. (No pun intended). Her face was bloodied worse than when I last saw her, making me think that some of the guards, or Tanner himself, took a few minutes alone with her to 'welcome' her to the cell block. Her injured hand was resting against her chest, and her eyes were unfocussed, staring at whatever she was imagining in her head. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was crazy… the image of her screaming and attacking me zoomed through my head again, just like the crazy cat lady in the Simpsons.

I said the only thing I could think of. "Heya kid."

She jumped about a foot in the air again, hearing my voice. I was surprised she didn't hear the door open. Maybe she was ignoring it. It only took a moment for her to come back to reality, but then I saw in her eyes that she recognized me even through the dark, and they lit right up.

She squealed "RED!" and ran across the room, leaping into the air and wrapping her skinny arms around my neck. The move took me by surprise, and it knocked me back a foot. I wasn't about to argue though, and wrapped my right arm around her to keep her where she was.

"Oh man I'm so glad it's you!" Her head flopped onto my shoulder. She sounded so relieved that I didn't have the heart to ask her who else had been by to visit. For a few seconds while I held her in my arms I forgot she'd killed more humans in two years than I had in the sixty plus years I'd been around. Strange as it was, every time I saw her in pain, or even within arms' reach, I didn't see her as a killer.

After a minute she detached herself, looking more than a little embarrassed. I messed with her already-straggly hair and we took a seat on the floor against the far wall again. The smell was getting to me but I tried to ignore it. _If she can take it, so can I, and I've smelled some nasty things over the years._

"Not to sound unappreciative or anything, but why are you here?" She asked once we made ourselves comfortable.

I just shrugged. "Don't know. Got lonely."

She smiled at me again, that soft smile when she knows damn well I'm lying but has a big enough heart not to call me on it.

It went like that for about ten minutes, just us sitting there in the cold dark, sitting arm against arm, chatting like we were on the roof a couple of days ago. No complications, no tenseness, just a couple of old friends chatting.

The only thing missing was beer. I had a cigar though and lit it up much to the gratitude of Ellie, who I almost had to play tug-o-war against to get it back. It sure improved the smell of the room.

"Got any food in here?" I asked, rubbing my belly. She grinned at me and shook her head.

"Nah, the only time I've seen anyone was when the guards walked by, or you. I haven't eaten since this morning."

"What?" I was pissed. Starving a prisoner was against the law for a reason. That, and it was just cruel, especially for one who ate as much as Ellie.

"Hey, no worries, I ate a decent breakfast." She replied, obviously trying to calm me down. Wasn't working.

"Well, they're damned well gonna feed us now…"

I got up off the floor, ripped the cell door open, and bellowed down the hall for the guards. Ellie meekly stood off to my right, leaning up against the wall. "Red, don't…"

"What? I'm hungry." I interrupted her as a single young looking and quite frightened guard ran up and stood shakily in front of us. I don't think he knew who to be more afraid of. His eyes kept flitting from me to Ellie, who immediately got into the role of the pathetic and starved prisoner. It was fun.

"You see this girl here?" I pointed to Ellie, whose eyes instantly went big as headlights.

The guard nodded.

"She hasn't had anything to eat or drink since this morning… and it's really cold in there. So here's what I want you to do." I leaned down real close and got right in the guard's sweaty face. I swear his eyes couldn't get any rounder. "You are going to get that skinny ass out of here and get her some food, water, and some coffee, and a nice, thick, dry blanket. You got that, Bub?" I tapped him very lightly on the top of his head with the end of my tail, just to get the point across.

The guard quivered in his boots. "Yes… Yes sir, Mister Hellboy… Right away."

_Heh, Mister. Oh shit! _"And get something for me too, I'm hungry!" I yelled down the hall to the fleeing guard. I barely heard him say "Yes,sir"again as he zoomed out of the cellblock.

Ellie barely kept her laughter in until I shut the cell door again, but once it was she burst out laughing so hard I thought she'd pee herself. "Man, I should have had you around back in high school! 'Give her an A in algebra or I'll bust your fuckin' fingers!'" She finished in a fair imitation of my voice.

She was back on the floor so I plopped down next to her and punched her good arm lightly. "Good thing about being this ugly, I can still scare the shit out of the little guys."

Rielle smacked me back. "You're not ugly, Red. Say that again and I'll pop you one."

"Ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly…. OW!" _That's gonna leave a bruise._

"Fathead."

"Bitch… Ow!" _Same damned spot! No wonder she was good at sniping._

We messed around for a few more minutes, jabbing back and forth and telling each other 'your big nose' jokes. Finally the guard reappeared with some back up and two platters stacked with food and drinks. He was shaking so bad the glasses were banging against each other, so I took the platter away from him before they ended up smashed on the floor. He backed off quickly and ran away out of the cell. His 'backup' just chuckled at him.

"Red, will you quit intimidating the new guys?"

I put on a pouty face that got a giggle out of Rielle. "Aww, but it's fun!"

The guard grinned at me and left, shutting the cell door firmly behind them. The smell of the food was visibly getting to the both of us, so in the time it took to blink an eye, me and Rielle raided the platters and found burgers, chicken, two kinds of salad, and some nice hot bread. The other was loaded with water bottles, orange juice and hot coffee. It took me a moment to realize they forgot a blanket, so I yelled out the door til Scaredy-Cat (I nicknamed the frightened guard) came with a decently warm hospital blanket for Ellie, which she gratefully wrapped around herself.

We talked and gorged on food for the next hour. She seemed to perk up a lot more, even taking the time to run her fingers (although covered in chicken grease) through her hair and wash her face off with one of the bottles of water. She looked a lot better afterwards, more awake and aware, and less insane. After a few cups of coffee I almost had to peel her off the ceiling. It was great. I forgot we were even in a jail cell after a while.

She asked a little about what I did here, so I explained what the BPRD was all about, what I did, what Abe did, things like that. She was totally fascinated. I wondered why nobody told her but realized there hadn't been much time, with her getting arrested and all. I'm sure Father would have done it sooner or later.

She told me a little about her time with CSIS, stuff like the training procedures and some of the funnier missions she went on. One of them included a guy dressed as a mime, pretending to shoot some important official… then actually pulling a gun. When Rielle took him out, nobody noticed, they all thought he was playing along.

Okay, it shouldn't have been funny, but it was. And I had enough coffee in my system to kill an elephant.

I don't know how much time had passed before there came a knock on the cell door. By then, Rielle and I were full of food and leaning against each other. I think I was keeping her warmer than the blanket was. I was trying very very hard not to play with her hair. It was brushing against my shoulder and was a little ticklish. Giggling like a girl wouldn't have done much for my ego, so I held it in.

"Red, Professor Broom is looking for you. Says it's important."

"Ain't it always?" I looked over to Rielle who finally got off my shoulder. I took the advantage and scratched it. "I guess I'm out of here. I'll come by again tomorrow, okay?"

Rielle walked me to the door looking pretty sad. I felt a bit guilty. It didn't help when she looked up at me with those big brown eyes of hers and softly said my name. I stopped halfway out the door. She reached out meekly and took my left hand in both of hers.

"Look, I'm sorry for everything." She looked down at the floor. "I didn't want to lie to you and I did. I put everyone here in danger, and I feel absolutely horrible about it."

I don't know what the hell came over me just then. It sure as hell wasn't the 'romantic environment' or that she looked good even beaten up… it was... something. I just went with it. Before she could protest or I could stop to think, I lifted her chin, leaned down and slowly kissed her cheek.

Up close, she didn't smell so bad… she smelled like _Rielle_, motor-oil and sandalwood and chicken, and her cheek was soft under my lips. The nasty jail-cell odour was muted next to her…

I stayed there for a moment, wondering how soon the clout to the jaw would be, and enjoyed being close to her. My right hand somehow ended up in her hair and pulling her closer so her face was on my shoulder. I'd always wanted to touch her hair, and even tangled, it was as soft as I thought it would be.

Standing there with her in my arms like that for who knows how long, I didn't know what to be more afraid of- her total lack of reaction, or the fact that she hadn't run screaming yet. "Say something so I don't feel like a total asshole."

I felt her body relax a little. "Something."

_Okay, I should have expected that. _"Smart ass."

She let go of my hand and wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed. "Lummox."

I messed her hair up a little more and let her go. She kept looking up at me with those big brown eyes but this time she was grinning.

"You better go before they send out a search party."

"Nah, they'll just get Fish-Stick to scan the place. But yeah, I should go…"

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, and I'll bring booze."

She chuckled at the thought and I shut the door behind me.

Halfway down the hall I ran into the Scaredy-Cat and flashed my teeth at him. I heard him squeak and I laughed the rest of the way to Pop's office.

* * *

I'm sorry to all of you things have been taking so long. This month has been hell. Shit from all sides. Hopefully things simmer down while schools on. Hope hope. Heh. 

Beastie: no hard feelin's? And here's a nice snoogie moment for you, hope you liked it.

Teiboy: Thanks!

Beth: I've Been watching kung fu movies lately, and the image of Broom swinging that thing out and whacking Tanner came from that. Pai Mei Broom, just needs a longer beard and to get rid of the tweed.

Shadowcat: I kinda pulled Tanner out of my ass, that's why he's such a shithead. A mix of Manning and an old boss.

Draco:D thank you! Hope you liked this one too.


End file.
